Blood Will Tame A Savage Beast
by MewSara100
Summary: They share a bed, share their nights. Can they let themselves share their hearts? When Kaname realizes the only way to sooth Zero's potential bloodlust is through his own blood, will Zero listen to reason and join the night class? He isn't a kitten to be domesticated, isn't a pet to be owned. Can Zero let Kaname come closer when it means giving up the barriers he clings to?
1. Chapter 1

Well, he thought upon turning over in bed, it could have been worse. He could have woken up next to a crocodile. As he moved instinctively closer to the warm body beside him in bed, Zero Kiryuu had to rethink that last thought. Perhaps a crocodile retained puppy status when he considered the pureblood in bed next to him. He winced lightly at that, feeling the sore ache of his still tired body. His hips, especially, hurt like hell. Yeah, a crocodile he could handle. A crocodile would snap and hiss at him. A pureblood prince, however, could slyly seduce him against his will to come to bed with him. Wait… He paused and memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. No, it hadn't just been the bed. If his memory was still working correctly, it had been Kaname Kuran's office desk, pressed up against a hallway window, against Kuran's door, leaned over the bed, and finally in the bed itself. He shuddered at each vivid recollection and the ache in his hips only grew more noticeable. At least he'd not moaned that loud…most of the time.

Because he didn't know whether he could, effectively, make his way around the room to collect his clothes and leave, he remained there in the pureblood's large bed, tucked under the covers and pressed flush against Kuran's body. It had to be daylight, he thought wearily. The heavy crimson curtains were drawn shut, the lights were off, and the idiot pureblood was asleep. Admittedly, and he was still reluctant to accept this reality, he'd begun to follow that same sleep schedule himself. He wanted to hiss at that. He refused to be one of them, to be a bloodsucker.

He yawned slowly then, head lowering instinctively to rest on Kaname Kuran's shoulder, close to his neck. It was at that moment that realization hit him and more memories accompanied it. Crimson blood, glowing red eyes, sex, fangs… and pleading for more all raced through his mind in a flurry of emotion that churned his stomach. No, he thought, that was only a onetime thing. He refused to do it again. He refused to take Kuran's blood so willingly again…except he'd refused before, just as adamantly, and still he'd fallen so easily to the pureblood prince and his sadistic whims. He couldn't decide what aspect of that was more degrading: falling so low, or enjoying the sensation of sex and blood. The taste of both still lingered in his memory and he felt his body grow warm.

Despite his annoyance, he couldn't deny how soft the bed was, or how warm Kuran was in his sleep. Vampires weren't cold creatures by any physical means, and he was finding his body had readily accepted that fact and left his mind to catch up. Already it had become natural for him to snuggle up close and sleep in that warmth created by Kuran and several soft blankets. Damn, he thought bitterly, was this what they called addiction? His mind, still weary, answered with a silent _'Yes, you idiot'_ before it went silent and he drifted into sleep.

… … …

He felt good. This thought drew him out of his restful sleep and into the darkness of his bedroom. He was warm, comfortable…peaceful, if he was feeling sentimental. For a while, he laid there and simply pondered these feelings. It wasn't until the feather light brush of hair against his neck caught his attention that he knew he had company. Without looking, he knew who lay beside him. Those very…interesting memories found him, fit together with his lazy peacefulness like puzzle pieces, and it all came back to him.

His hand came up, long fingers carding through silver strands in thoughtful admiration as he replayed every second of their night together. Zero, the same wild eyed, untamed hunter who infuriated him to no end, had wrapped himself around Kaname's naked body in his sleep, resting his head on the pureblood prince's broad shoulder. Over time, after long bouts of arguing and reluctance, he'd gotten Zero into his bed…among other places… Now, and he knew Zero would try to kill him if he voiced his thoughts, Kaname had slowly watched him change. It no longer took hours of fighting for the hunter to give in. The silver haired ex-human was still his grouchy self, of course, but something had changed, had shifted inside him.

In the month or so they'd spent in one another's company, Kuran Kaname had trained the hunter's body, had made it sensitive to every kiss, every touch, every softly whispered word. The rabid hunter was no longer feral. Instead, the vicious bitter anger melted into pleasured moans at every intimate touch of Kaname's fingertips. He'd tamed a tiger and made it a kitten. Without regard for Kiryuu's pride, he'd broken down those walls and forced aside that hatred for all vampires enough to take precedence in the level-D's heart and mind.

The flash of memory filled him again and his sharp vermillion eyes closed slowly in order to focus on it. He was behind Zero, and the hunter's naked body was pressed up against the large arching window of the hallway. No one was around, but he vaguely wondered what anyone looking up from outside would think of their little show. Zero was, by then, moaning and reacting to every small touch, every movement. This pleased the pureblood greatly, for he'd begun to move faster, with more intensity. The sight of the level D in the moonlight back arched and eyes glowing red, pleased him, though the protruding ivory fangs sent something primal through his body. He didn't feel at all bad that he was humiliating the ex-human.

Just as quickly as it had come, the memory left him and he tucked it away in the back of his mind to ponder later. For now, he could feel Zero stirring in his sleep. He wasn't used to this sleep schedule yet, and for a while he knew it would prove difficult for Zero to find enough rest. When the boy didn't fully wake up, he sighed and brushed silver bangs from a beautiful pale face. They'd made a break through, at least. It usually took arguing and a bit of fighting to get Zero to take his blood. Last night, deep inside the hunter, it took a simple command to break that resistance. He'd seen that animalistic hunger there, the need that Kiryuu refused to voice whenever Kaname offered. Still, the pureblood couldn't quite put his finger on what held Zero back. It was more than pride. It was more than hatred for vampires. He'd sated that hunger momentarily, though, and the affect his blood had had made Kaname's stomach flutter. Zero had let go completely, and it had been beautiful-like art.

He had to force his mind not to go down that road again as he lay there in the darkness, dark eyes cutting through it like sharp knives. Slowly, those eyes lifted from Zero's peacefully sleeping face to the bedside drawer. Opened only with a key, the draw contained Zero's transfer papers. The hunter might throw a fit, might try to kill him, but Kaname was earnestly trying to help the boy. Perhaps earnest wasn't the right word, but oh well. With the level-D's growing hunger, Yuki was no longer safe with Zero in the day. At least at night, Kaname could keep his eye on Zero and still look out for Yuki. He'd already gotten looking after the nobles down to a science, thankfully. At least the chairman and Yagari-Sensei agreed with him. They might have been vampire hunters, but they had common sense.

Yuki... His sister would worry about Zero to no end, Kaname knew. He would reassure her later, though. In her own way, she might be the best choice to convince Kiryuu to accept his new position in the Night Class. That meant it was crucial to convince her Zero would be safe.

As his mind flickered from Yuki, it landed on the Night Class students. They wouldn't like his decision – that much he knew. He might have been able to handle them, but they had their ways of getting around that. He didn't doubt they'd corner Zero outside of class when Kaname had other things to attend to. He didn't doubt a fight would break out. He couldn't afford that, though. His experiment in pacifism was precarious at best, and he had to pass Zero off as part of that experiment smoothly. With the pride of the nobles and Zero's own hatred of vampires, that wouldn't be easy.

Almost lost in thought, he barely noticed the shifting against him. When he did, he watched Zero's lip twitch and heard the boy mutter something in his half-sleep state. He smirked at that and, slowly, his fingertips began twirling a strand of silver hair. "Sleep well?"

… … …

Zero's body, obviously still worn out from the night of intense…exercise - twitched and curled around the warmth beside him. Still, his eyes didn't open. Just for this moment, he thought wearily. He wanted to enjoy this warm feeling and not open his eyes. The world beyond his closed eyelids included insatiable hunger, disgusting blood tablets, vampires in human masks, and loneliness. It included a twin who loathed him and a future he knew was out of his reach. It included the shame of being a vampire when he had had a promising future as a hunter. Sadly, he knew he couldn't dwell in this warmth forever.

His eyes opened slowly, almost reluctantly, until hazy lilac pools peered up past strands of silver bangs at the vermillion eyes that watched him with such interest. After his recent feed, he found that his sight had become sharper, and the darkness of the room no longer applied. It wouldn't last, he knew. He'd grow hungry again, and slowly he would become more human more…hungry. He refused to let his mind settle on that thought, however. Instead, he yawned and rubbed his eyes slowly. They'd woken up in the same bed on a few rare occasions, so it didn't fluster him to see the vampire there.

Still, the longer he looked, the more beautiful that fall of wavy dark hair became. The more he studied Kuran Kaname, the more those eyes drew him in and those lips teased him. The more he looked, the more he wanted to touch that pale skin and feel its smoothness – No, he commanded himself, chastising himself for his thoughts. That was Kuran's blood talking, not him. Like hell he wanted to touch that bastard. Not with a ten foot pole… Perhaps if it was silver and pointy, he might consider it.

Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the spell was broken and reality returned to him. "I'm leaving," he muttered bitterly, sitting up to toss back the covers. Instantly, his body screamed at him to lie back down and reenter that warmth that was Kaname. No, he told himself. He refused. He stood, swayed, and steadied himself quickly as he shuffled around the room for whatever articles of clothing resembled his. He found his blazer, his pants, the prefects' red armband, and his shoes… Where were his vest, tie, and shirt? More importantly, where was his_ Bloody Rose_? Had he left it in his room?

No, said a voice in his mind, you pointed it at Kuran the minute he came up behind you… He gritted his teeth at that and sighed, knowing just where to find it. After all, Kuran had been fast in disarming him. He'd nearly forgotten to be angry about that and hadn't asked where the damn pureblood had put his gun. The jingling of a silver chain told him, without having to look, that Kuran was holding his anti-vampire weapon by its chain in his hand.

He turned on his heel, pulling on clothes as he moved, and strode towards the bed again, holding out his hand demandingly. "Give me my gun, bastard vampire…" Through gritted teeth, he dared the vampire to test him. Obviously, he wasn't the most pleasant person upon waking.

When Kaname didn't move to hand him the gun, Zero hissed through gritted teeth and leapt onto the bed without a second's thought or hesitation. His gun was probably the only constant he had in his life right now. The sleek cool silver was the only thing that grounded him-that and White Lilly, of course. He sat straddling Kuran's hips now over the blanket, chest pressed up against the vampire as he reached for his gun, which was being conveniently dangled out of his reach by the vampire's longer arm.

When Kaname spoke, Zero wanted to hiss. The bastard sounded oh so smug just then. "What's your hurry, Kiryuu-Kun? You've never had a particular fondness for school, so there's nothing dragging you back to the middle of class now." Zero froze in his struggle to get to his weapon upon hearing that. The bastard had let him sleep in THAT long? Kaname seemed to understand the look of astonished anger in his eyes because he was smirking now. "I bet you didn't know you're a clingy sleeper, Kiryuu-Kun."

Was he TRYING to get on Zero's nerves? Scowling deeply and forgetting he'd not gotten to button up his black school slacks, he moved forward again to reach for the gun. The friction against the blankets eased his pants off his hips slowly, so slowly that he failed to notice at first. He was almost there. He could almost touch the barrel of his gun. A shift beneath him and a leg brushing up against the thin layer of fabric between himself and Kaname had Zero's eyes widening.

Instantly, his face grew a deep scarlet and his wide eyes nearly melted. For a moment, he'd failed to hear anything. He was fairly certain the moan he heard after a moment, a low wanton purr, had come from his lips. He stopped reaching for the gun then and hid his face against Kaname's chest. Damn, that had slipped out… His hands, now resting on that familiar broad chest, tightened and loosened sporadically, as if Zero were trying to grip his already lost control in them and failing miserably.

… … …

The sudden change might have been horrifying to Zero, but Kaname found he quite enjoyed it. Perhaps too much, but he hardly cared about that. He moved again, having eased his leg out from under the blankets before Zero had leapt forward. Honestly, he'd thought the hunter would at least try to fight him. Didn't he know how much those movements had provoked him just then? As he sat staring down at the hunter-who'd been reduced to shuddering and gasping and hiding his face in Kaname's chest-he found he quite enjoyed the reaction.

Slowly, easily, he began to speak and his words dripped with suggestion as he leaned down close to the ex-human's ear. "Zero, did that feel good? Do you want me to make you feel good? I know every inch of your body, Zero. I know how to make you moan, make you scream for me. You know I can, and you know I will, so don't fight it."

His chuckle was deep and satisfied as he nipped the shell of Zero's ear, licking it slowly. Already his fingertips had begun easing down the hunter's already undone slacks. So he hadn't found his boxers then. As he felt Zero's body shiver at his touch, he slid his fingertips down the level-D's back and to the indent between the slopes of the vampire's ass. He knew he'd won when that familiar moan-though stifled by a still reluctant Kiryuu-hit his ears. He continued on after that, vowing silently that he'd hear more of that lovely voice soon. "Zero-Kun, lift your hips and spread your legs some more." he instructed, his own shaft twitching to life now between them.

He watched as Zero sat up, eyes falling on the boy's shaft now as it stood hard and ready. "So eager," he mused, taking his hands away to stroke himself, much to Zero's displeasure. He watched the boy force down a pout and arched a brow in amusement. "I can't do everything for you, Kiryuu-Kun. You'll just have to ride me." He paused then and bit his lip as if regretfully. "You'll have to ride me dry, though. I forgot to get lotion or lube." After a night of passion, he doubted they'd need it, though a vampire's body healed quickly. He'd probably tightened back up, especially with how much blood he'd taken from Kaname. He was always as tight as a virgin and just as sensitive.

… … …

Zero, realizing the implication of the words and the cruel teasing, flushed a darker shade of red and glared weakly up at Kaname. "Bastard…" he muttered and began shifting until his pants slid down enough to shimmy out of them and kick them away again. "Why do you continue to tease me like this?" he muttered, watching Kaname's fingers move over the already engorged base of his shaft. His own length was pleading for attention as it was, but he'd be damned if he begged.

When Kaname's only response was a sly smirk, Zero sighed and lifted himself, taking Kaname's length in one hand as the other found his hole and eased it open some. A tingle of fear was there, the same fear he always had whenever they did it without preparation or foreplay. This was going to hurt, and his aching hips would be almost impossible to rely on for a while. He'd tightened up even more than last time, and he couldn't ask Kaname to stretch him out. That would be admitting defeat. As he lowered himself, painfully slow, to the thick pulsing tip, his body gave a shudder of anticipation. He moved then and, inhaling sharply, pressed the tip against his hole and felt it clench.

"It…won't fit…" he managed, glancing up at Kuran as if pleading for mercy from this. "It won't go in." His heart was throbbing painfully in his chest now and he sighed, averting his gaze in frustration.

"Use your fingers, Kiryuu," was Kaname's only instruction, and Zero wanted to hiss at the smugness in it. That bastard was enjoying this, and they both knew Zero wanted it too much to refuse. "Remember how I did it? I put them in one at a time until you were nice and ready. Your fingers are long enough that it won't be a problem, and you're a very…flexible hunter. I'm sure you can do it."

Because he knew Kaname would stare at him even if he demanded the vampire look away, Zero sighed and, face flushed, reached back and to the twitching ring of muscle. He winced as the first finger slid in, and he nearly yelped in pain. He'd gone too fast without realizing it. Damn, it hurt… Still, he continued on and added another finger. That hurt worse, but he'd been in pain before. He knew, somewhere in his mind, that he was going too fast and not trying to stretch himself, but he wasn't concerned with that. He just wanted to prove he could do it so that Kaname wouldn't tease him.

… … …

Kaname sighed, shaking his head slowly as he watched the boy add the third finger. "You'll tear something at this rate," he muttered, grabbing Zero's arm and yanking it away. "Idiot hunter, didn't I train you better?" He watched those lilac eyes snap open and cursed silently. Damn, wrong way to put it. Perhaps he shouldn't have called him an idiot at this point. After all, he'd gotten Zero to that point where the boy was at his most vulnerable.

He knew by the startled stare and the hurt and anger building slowly in those lilac eyes that he'd slipped up. He watched Zero's eyes narrow and quickly leaned up to brush his lips against the hunter's. "Next time, just say it hurts." He sighed and reached out, pressing on the ring of muscle. It was tender and twitched even as Zero flinched. "Drink my blood and it'll heal. Just let me stretch you, ok?"

… … …

Zero, gritting his teeth, leaned in reluctantly and rested his head on Kaname's shoulder. "Don't want to," he muttered, pride getting in the way now. His walls had flown back up the moment Kaname called him an idiot. He'd done something stupid in trusting the pureblood. How had he forgotten that? "I think I should just leave for now. This won't work today…" he muttered, pulling away to attempt to stand. A wave of pain had him stumbling, however, and he gritted his teeth. Yeah, he'd been the idiot. He wasn't going to admit it, but he'd been stupid enough to not ask Kaname to do it. He'd rushed and now it hurt. Still, he refused to take the blood. He'd only taken it the night before because he'd not been thinking straight. Kaname had that affect on people, after all.

… … …

This didn't escape Kaname as he stared down the silver haired vampire. He sighed, tossing the anti-vampire weapon to the darkest corner of the room now before reaching out with both hands to grab Zero and yank him back onto the bed, the grip not letting up even as he felt Zero struggle. It only tightened as he shifted their positions and forced Zero onto his stomach below him. "I wouldn't struggle if I were you, Kiryuu-Kun. I'm at least going to heal you before you leave."

Did Zero realize just how pissed off he was? Didn't he realize how angry he'd gotten when the silver haired vampire had begun to stumble? The idiot hadn't even considered asking him, he bet. Now that his mood had changed, Kaname no longer felt any warm and fuzzy feelings about the ex-human. Just then, they were back to those early stages of their…odd relationship. In the beginning, both had hated the other; both had wanted to express that. Now, though, that anger from before was mixed with the foreign feeling of worry and it was making Kaname's stomach flip.

He didn't move again until Zero had eased his struggling. Even then, he pinned both hands above Kiryuu's head. Using his free hand now, he bit down hard on his wrist and held it up to pale lips. As far as vampires went, Zero was severely malnourished. Not even Kaname was THAT pale. He waited a long moment, not moving his injured wrist until the standoff had been decided. He felt Zero licking slowly, reservedly, at his wrist and knew he'd won. Kaname watched Zero lap at the blood as if going too fast might break that thread of control he'd woven so carefully. In that moment, Zero reminded him again of a kitten who'd been chastised, unsure and a bit afraid. It was possibly that thought that made him lean down and gently press a kiss to the level-D's upper back, between the shoulder blades that had tensed in irritation.

He waited, pleased to feel the sharp points of Zero's fangs at his wrist now as they sunk into the flesh. The pain was minimal, all things considered, and he had to chuckle in amusement. Yes, he'd trained Zero well… He watched as Zero pulled back, licking at his fangs as they withdrew back into normal length. Kaname knew without looking that those lilac eyes had gone red and back now to their normal color. He'd sated the hunger in Zero before the boy could have a chance to let it grow and not come to him.

He waited a moment to speak and finally sighed when it seemed Zero was content to simply lay there, cheek against Kaname's wrist now. "Go now and regroup in your room. Eat at least some human food with Yuki and Cross. Take a shower and by then it'll be time for the Night Class to begin waking. I need to meet with you and Cross after class has started to discuss something of great importance." He pulled his wrist away, to Zero's displeasure, and stood up to gather the hunter's clothes for him. "You should be healed enough to walk. Now get going."

Minutes passed in awkward silence as he watched Zero fumble around to try and put his uniform back together and slide into his shoes. He handed Zero his anti-vampire weapon and used the opportunity to lean down and kiss the boy's lips lightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered, knowing the intimate tone and the lack of space between them would bring about that blush he loved so much. "I'm sorry I called you an idiot, Kiryuu-Kun. Next time let me take good care of you, ok?" By then his skilled fingers had buttoned the boy's shirt and secured the tie in a clean knot around the boy's pale neck.

He watched him go like that, noticing the small limp he retained as he saw him pass under the window and over the bridge. And as Zero walked away, Kaname couldn't help the odd twist and flutter of his chest. What was this urge to kiss and coddle the hunter he'd once wanted to kill? Turning from the window then, he froze and his eyes widened but a fraction.

There, in the doorway, Ichijou stood with knowing emerald eyes and crossed arms. "You've filled out his transfer papers, I take it… How will he react to that, I wonder? You've spent this last month braking down every barrier he's put in place, Kaname. He trusts you most and he hates you most. Don't you think that will tear him up inside? You can't keep someone as feral as Kiryuu-Kun as a pet and expect him to act domestically for long. He isn't a kitten. You'll be throwing him in with a group of nobles who already hate him. His hate for vampires is still there, even if it doesn't expressly include you anymore. You might want to consider that before meeting with the chairman tonight."

Kaname's eyes were cold, but he was listening. It wasn't like he hadn't thought of these things before. Hell, he'd lost sleep in doing so. Ichijou was only worried. He didn't blame the blond, though. How could he? It just went to show that Kaname hadn't changed that much since beginning this affair with Zero. He was still cruel, still cold… He didn't care about the damn prefect.

Ichijou, sensing the emotional tension, smiled serenely and held up a volume of BL (boys love) manga. "Perhaps you should start reading these. After all, Zero's clearly a bottom, and you need to learn how to handle that…and perhaps make him accept that." That calm expression didn't change even as he moved to leave. "You have papers to fill out for the Senate before class. Don't think I forgot."


	2. Chapter 2

Pain – As he walked, Zero's mind kept coming back to that one word. Whatever this feeling was, it was nothing but painful. He had to stop himself from sinking back into that confused rage he was so used to as he walked-in broad daylight-through the grounds of Cross Academy. It was getting along in the day, and the students should have at least another hour and a half of class before it lets out. For now, at least, with Yuki and Yagari Sensei in class and Kuran in the Moon Dormitory with the other idiot vampires, the only real threat to his fleeting peace was the chairman. By Zero's estimation, with exams just around the corner, even that was less of a threat. The man would be caught up in paperwork to his neck for a while.

That left him his best option. Frankly, he thought with bland weariness, the white mare in the stables just a few feet from him would understand. White Lily always understood him. He felt himself looking forward to her affectionate nuzzlings and whinnying, the encouraging nips to his shirt collar and hair. As he came to the door, and because no one was watching, he slouched some and winced at the dull ache in his hips and lower back. It was a pain he'd hidden with indignation and what little pride he had left, but it was still there. He didn't bother closing the door as he wandered instinctively towards the mare's pen.

He offered a weak smile as he heard that familiar whinny and the clop of hooves on hay and the stable floor. Her eyes were wise, and he sometimes mistook them for human eyes, the way she read him so completely. Just like the rest of this hectic month, Zero sat down and flopped back in the pile of hay just outside the low gate that made up her pen. She nibbled his hair affectionately and he began speaking. He'd told her every detail of every night he'd spent with Kuran, and she'd listened whole heartedly to every word of it. Now, without any other ears, human or vampire, around, he set in to that day's recollection.

"Lily…I don't know…" That simple statement summed up his emotion, and in that one statement, the mare seemed to hear the volumes of uncertainty that resonated deeper into Zero. Her ears twitched as she leaned down to nuzzle Zero's cheek and nip at his hair, telling him he could continue. "Why did it hurt, Lily? He's called me an idiot before, and I've called him worse… I'd been so stupid. I let him get to me. Damn it, Lily, every time I put up a wall, he knocks it down and barges in. It makes my chest hurt… I'm so stupid, Lily. I actually started to enjoy waking up next to him. He just called me an idiot and that's when the pain started… I even let him give me his blood…"

As if realizing he'd said more than he'd intended, as if knowing he couldn't say anymore, he fell asleep in the hay, to the soft neighing of the white mare above him. There had been more pain, more confusion, in his words than he'd ever intended. Suddenly, though, he no longer felt as lost. Talking to White Lily had that affect, he supposed. She just…elicited those deepest feelings like salve drawing poison from a wound.

When at last he woke, an hour later, he found himself in that same pile of hay, staring up at White Lily. The horse had glanced over upon hearing the rustle of hay, as if to bid him a good morning…or afternoon. Her ears flicked and he smiled. It wasn't a pleased smile, wasn't weary or weak. It had no underlying emotion. It was a smile, the sort of warm natural smile that only the closest of friends could share after confessing one's heart. He stood, stretched, and winced at the pain that had chosen that moment to reappear. Still, it was lessened. He secured his _Bloody Rose_ to his hip then, under his vest, and sighed. His fingers rose, stroking White Lily slowly along her silky white coat before hugging her around the neck. She whinnied and nuzzled him, as if knowing by now that it was time for him to leave-a gesture that bid him good luck.

The walk back, minus the limp, allowed him to clear the rest of his head and snap himself awake. He had resolved, in his hay-pile nap, that he still hated Kuran. It didn't matter how good it felt to be held by him, touched by him, and teased by him. It didn't matter that he had allowed the vampire to…take him in so many ways the night before. It didn't matter that he'd drank mouthful after mouthful of the only source of blood that could satiate that shameful need inside him for extended periods of time-make him feel _human_ again. He absolutely, without question, HATED Kaname Kuran and all the other vampires. He refused to believe it was anything past his own need for blood and release that kept him coming back to Kuran.

With those barriers back firmly in place, he strode onward and his head rose proudly. His lilac eyes were cold again, the only defense he'd managed since childhood. Suddenly, it was as if the previous hours had never happened. It was as if he'd never been hurt-even a little-by Kaname's cutting tone. He'd been stupid enough to mistake it for something intimate, and he'd gotten burned. Like the death of his parents and the loss of his brother, like the horror of letting Yuki see the monster inside him, he set it inside that tightly locked box that had replaced his heart. It was too dangerous to open it.

He'd been so deep in thought that, had it been a vampire, come to kill him, he might not have reacted fast enough. Thankfully, he thought with bitter astonishment, the hand that smacked him painfully on his upper back was small-feminine-and completely familiar. "Yuki," he growled in annoyance, knocking her over the head lightly with the knuckles of his hand. Obviously his crisis of personality hadn't lessened his annoyance at all. "Why aren't you in class? It doesn't let out for another half hour, baka."

Another hit to the back. This one he managed to swat away quickly and sidestep, though. Their eyes locked and he could instantaneously read the expression on her face. It, too, was constant. She had come to accept his skipping class, for the most part, but finding out about him and Kaname had set them back a step on her acceptance of his frequent absence from class. She was staring at him now with suspicion in her eyes and her foot was tapping rhythmically on the ground. "You've still got school, Zero! That's no excuse for you to miss so much!"

Despite his scowl, Zero was thankful for any reason to get angry. So he shot back with the same indignation she had. "It's none of your business what I do, idiot! Besides, I won't be missing that much school after today…" His heart stopped, and he turned back rigidly to face her. That hadn't meant to slip out.

Still, Yuki's expression became one of shock as she processed his words. "You two got into ANOTHER fight?" That was about it, yeah, but he hated admitting it-mostly because Yuki would demand details. She had, though it had taken a long time-accepted the fact that Kaname's affection for her didn't travel into anything romantic. It had, thankfully, cleared her mind and simplified her life. That also, unfortunately, left her with more time to bug Zero about every tiny detail of his nightly affairs with Kuran. Sadly, that included their constant bickering, of which Yuki was becoming increasingly used to.

Zero, challenging her intent gaze with his usual scowl, had to avert his lilac gaze and bite his lip. She was his sister, and he cared for her too much to lay out everything for her-what he felt, didn't feel, and still wasn't sure of. Hell, talking to her would just confuse him again. He clung to his barriers now as he hissed out the words reluctantly. "You mean it still shocks you that we fight? I told you it's got nothing to do with emotion. We have sex-end of story." Obviously, he noted as he watched her blush, that was the wrong thing to say. He was finding it very hard to be blunt with her. She had, like that damn Takuma, begun reading those stupid mangas in her free time-the ones about boys love and whatnot.

"Just get back to class," he muttered before she could respond. He turned, hands stuffed in his pants pockets as he set off walking. "I have to shower and get ready for tonight's patrol." And like that he left a speechless Yuki standing, gaping, at his back. He could feel the fantasy of it bouncing from her mind and off his back. 'Just keep walking, Kiryuu,' he thought to himself, tightening his jaw.

The shower felt nice. As he melted into it, this time not to escape a blood lust, he felt his shoulders roll and the muscles ease just a little bit. He could enjoy it. It cleared away any doubts or pointless thoughts Yuki had managed to bring back up, leaving him-outwardly at least-refreshed and concentrated. He had, of course, cleaned 'there' too. The bastard pureblood obviously didn't know the term 'pull out!' when it was screamed at him in anger. At least the muscles didn't hurt as much anymore. Washing and rinsing everywhere-absolutely everywhere-he sighed and rested his forehead on the cool tile of the shower wall in thought. Had he made a mistake by confiding in Yuki? After all, he'd almost outright told her they'd probably stop their…affairs. Zero had, for the most part, sated all he needed to sate. He'd deal with the tablets instead. Those, at least, provided physical pain. That he could deal with. The mental confusion brought on by Kuran was another thing altogether, and far more painful.

Eventually, though, he knew he had to turn off the near-scalding spray of water and towel off his soaked body. He would also need to find his second uniform, seeing as how he'd put the first one in the wash before stepping into the shower. No doubt he'd have to bypass the chairman and Yuki in their dinner plans for the night. He could simply say he was going out for patrol early to make sure the Day Class students were behaving themselves – argue that his method of handling them was far more effective than Yuki's rather unfruitful pleading with the Day Class girls to listen. The normalcy of glaring at humans would settle what nerves he'd not put to rest in the shower.

… … …

The office was dimly lit, and Kaien Cross sat at his desk, wrapped in his favorite green shawl. His hands, clasped in front of him over a familiar manila envelope, went unmoving and undisturbed as he listened to Kaname Kuran's reasoning. The dim light was just enough to glint off of his glasses and hide his thoughtful eyes as he nodded sagely. "So," he stated with utter calm, sitting easily at his desk. "You want to push up Kiryuu's transfer date? You say you've proven the importance of your blood as a source of food for Kiryuu, and that you will give it willingly to him under these circumstances? I know already that he will play a key role in pro-pacifist ideologies, but you've not considered Zero-Kun's attitude and his past, Kaname-Kun."

Kaname knew this. As he stood before the chairman's desk, hands at his sides and face utterly placid, he knew this already. His vermillion eyes went unblinking as he nodded. "Which is what makes my sudden request so urgent, chairman. I believe that Zero will find himself more at home in the Night Class, with fellow vampires, and therefore begin to deal with the trauma of losing his parents, his brother's betrayal, and his becoming a vampire…"

Kaien knew these things already-knew the outer shell of reasons for Kaname's request. He nodded and sat up then. "If I am to go by Yuki's accounts, you and Zero have obtained a…romantic interest?" He'd hit the nail on the head and it was a rare sight to watch a vampire's eyes widen in shock. While he would usually be ecstatic to hear that one of his 'children' had found a lover, the circumstances suggested he should reconsider his pleasure. After all, it was no secret that Kaname could be cruel and sometimes-most times-manipulative. Vampires, due to their society, didn't regard that sort of sensitive topic the way humans did. Zero's was, though the boy may argue, a sensitive case.

That being said, Kaname had just asked him to transfer Zero immediately into the night class without warning the hunter, put him face to face with everything that could and probably would break him, and bypass the pride and defenses he'd been clinging to for so long. He knew Kaname's intentions were good, on some level, but the method and the demand were precarious and potentially dangerous. After all, Kaname hadn't seen Zero break, hadn't seen the devastation Cross had, after raising the boy.

A knock at the door had Kaname shutting his mouth from whatever he was about to say. He turned to face it and heard Cross tell the visitor to come in. Of all people he could have expected, Yuki had stepped through the door and shattered his plans to talk to her in private and get her to coax Zero into accepting his transfer. Still, he smiled warmly at her and greeted her with affection. "Yuki, how are you feeling?"

To this, the girl blushed and bowed politely. "I'm fine, Kaname-Senpai…but I came to find you to ask you a question…"

This startled Kaname quite a bit, and he turned fully to face her, Cross forgotten behind him now. "Yuki…what's got you so worried?" He reached for her but she stepped just out of his reach with a determined stare.

"Kaname-Senpai, I want you to apologize to Zero and make him feel better. You two had a fight, right?" Her dark eyes showed earnest worry now as she fiddled with the sleeve of her blazer. "Please, Kaname… Chairman told me you want to transfer him, and I don't think he'll like it if he's still mad at you."

Still trying to comprehend this potentially vast well of determination Yuki possessed, as well as register her request itself, Kaname blinked…and blinked again. Had he heard her right? He forced aside his pride and nodded slowly, trying to reassure her with a smile, as if reassuring a child that the boogieman weren't real. "Alright, Yuki, I'll apologize to him." he promised, smiling that charming smile that he'd become so good at faking.

He wondered why, and he knew he probably shouldn't have doubted it, but Yuki kept on. She'd suspected he was just trying to appease her and her eyes narrowed. She stood, hands on hips now, as she tapped her foot. "Whatever you do, don't push him. He won't ever respond like that." Recalling seeing him like she had, broken and empty upon arriving to live with them all those years ago, she knew that kindness would shake Zero more than force. It countered his personality, after all.

Kaname considered this for a long moment, and his charming smile turned genuine and just a bit confused. She was asking him not to push back when Zero was usually the one who pushed first? Well, he decided with a mental shrug, she seemed to know what to do. He would agree, if it eased her worry. She was, after all, the only family he had left. She would be a key in this, in convincing Cross to transfer him immediately. "Alright, Yuki, I will."

Just like that, Kaien thought with a small smile, things had been resolved. Yuki, he knew, had grown wiser, stronger with another year of school. After all, it was through her that Cross had learned of Zero's…interest in Kaname. It worried him, though. Kaname and Zero might just push one another too far one day and then all hell might break loose. They'd come close before. For the sake of the school's reputation of pacifism, he couldn't have that.

"He'll stay for a month," When all eyes were on him, Kaien continued. "He will remain in the Moon Dormitory with Kaname for one month, attend the Night Class courses, and become used to life as a vampire. It will be a test to prove to the vampire and hunter societies that our pacifism can be reached." When both sets of eyes seemed to understand his words, the seriousness in Kaien's voice vanished and he smiled. "Oh, my son has a boyfriend! And he just had his first lover's quarrel! I can't believe it! It's more than a father can hope f-"

The spine of a book whizzed by, flying at him at top speed after a moment and he paled, ducking out of the way. In the door, leaning on the frame, Yagari glared at the annoying Chairman and crossed his arms, still wearing his signature cowboy hat. "Idiot, stop rambling. Zero is on his way here for patrol. Do you think he'll want you doting on him?"

It was because Yagari posed a valid point that Kaien reverted back to twiddling his thumbs like a scolded child behind his desk. For a long while the room was silent. Yuki stood where she'd been standing, leaving Kaname and Yagari on opposite sides of the room glaring at one another with suspicion. The silence went unbroken and took on a weight and density that might have crushed a normal human…which meant Kaien was twiddling his thumbs a bit faster now, nervousness causing sweat to bead on his forehead.

"Please don't destroy my beautiful office… I just replaced the desk after Zero-Kun split the old one in half." Yuki patted his shoulder at that and they both sighed. Was this what the two species were reduced to? Glaring and constant fighting… In a way, Zero might fit in just fine with the night class. He was grumpy enough.

Just then, as if summoned from thin air, a knock on the door proceeded the familiar click before the door swung wide, stopped only by Yagari's booted foot. The hunter himself had moved into the room after a moment. There in the doorway, looking a bit more than frazzled was Zero. He seemed stunned, as if he'd walked into his dreams while awake and wasn't fond of what he found. If the sour expression on his face was any indication, that was probably accurate.

The silence only grew with the addition of a third party, and it was finally Yuki whose job it was to break up the tension. She clapped her hands together decisively and, smiling broadly, walked over and pulled Zero in by the sleeve to stand beside Kaname. When the tension started to crackle, Yuki decided it was time to speak. She smiled, watching Zero trying to scoot away from Kaname while, at the same time, Kaname placed a hand on his back and grabbed him by the back of his blazer to keep him still.

"Zero, it's good you came. We wanted to discuss something with you that may benefit you." At the biting glare of those lilac eyes, Yuki winced inwardly and continued. "Before you argue, just hear me out. We know how much you dislike being a prefect and dealing with the Day Class girls in the evening. You haven't been getting enough to eat, or enough sleep, lately, and you're falling behind in your studies." She raised her hand before a very startled Zero could respond. "All I'm saying is that you give this a try for a month." Only after realizing she'd skirted around the proposal did she clear her throat and meet his gaze. "Stay with Kaname-Senpai in the Moon Dormitory for one month, attend classes at night, allow Kaname to tutor you, and live the life of a vampire. If after a month it still doesn't work out, then you can drop it and go back to your normal life.

Even as Zero stared at her, he had the sneaking suspicion he had no choice in this whatsoever. A glance to the side and to Kaname's mask of polite indifference told him the bastard Kuran had something to do with it. He already knew not to look to Cross for help, and Yagari would just smirk and stare at him. He was on a sinking ship… He didn't say anything for a long while and, finally, when he'd begun to feel the expectant tension revert onto him, he spoke. His voice was hoarse suddenly, and unsure. He shifted from foot to foot slowly and the grip on the back of his blazer tightened, as if knowing he'd try to make a break for the door and to the stables again.

"Why the hell would I want to join the night class?" he shot, eyes narrowing as his hand traveled down to his gun. It twitched and lingered there before the expectation in those sets of eyes ate at him. He forced himself to think logically just then and damn did it leave a bitter taste. He'd get fed-and not those damn blood tablets. He didn't have to patrol or handle those idiot girls except on his way to class. He could sleep during the day and do almost nothing at night. He could have more time at the shooting range and maybe-just maybe, Kuran wouldn't try to get to him again.

While that last hope was void, he would cling to the others and sighed weightily, shaking his head. His voice was bitter and his eyes were cold as he gripped the butt of his gun in his fist, taking comfort in its cold silver. "If I have no other choice, I'll stay for a month-JUST a month-and be back to my old life by the end of it with the same hate for vampires…or more." He muttered coldly and scuffed his foot on the carpet absently. The fist at his back loosened and he grit his teeth. He could feel Kaname's pleased grin and knew without looking that those vermilion eyes had darkened. Had he really just agreed to what he thought he had? A life of misery and hell, he was sure.

**Just a filler chapter to explain some things. I hope you guys enjoyed it and reviews are welcome. Thank you to all of you who've reviewed the story so far. I love you all so, so, so much! You don't even understand! I'll try to update daily!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys! I'm sticking to my daily update promise! I might have to make an exception for Tuesdays though, because I'm rarely home on Tuesdays. Other than that, I'll try to double the updates on a Monday or Wednesday. I'll try to tell you guys ahead of time if I'll be unable to post (delayed or whatnot), unless it's an emergency or I can't get to my comp.**

**Also, thank you to all of my lovely reviewers. I love you guys so much and your support is greatly appreciated. Now, I got a question about Yuki… Don't worry; she wasn't always this accepting of Zero and Kaname. I'll have a chapter with a flashback for her soon to explain things. Other than that, I know a lot of you guys don't like Kaname, and I sort of agree, but he gets better. He won't be too cruel…for long. It'll be worth it, I promise! Now enjoy the next chapter!**

**Please note that there are some…more than mild hints of other pairings in this, and I'm fairly certain the fangirls will raid me when they spot them. ^^ Is it bad that I have no regrets?**

He supposed he should have expected the shock to wear off quickly. As Kaname stepped through the chairman's office doors and out into the dimly lit hallway, Kiryuu following reluctantly behind, he could feel the wash of anger in Zero's livid posture. If looks could have killed, Kaname didn't doubt he'd had a short life. It would have been worth it, though. Obviously Zero was just now catching the weight of what he'd agreed-signed his name-to. The transfer papers had been signed and dated stamped by a fingerprint and Kiryuu's blood simply because he wouldn't put it past the vampire to try and wiggle his way out of it, should it come to that.

He waited until they'd walked a few meters to speak again, noting that they were alone in the hallway. In his voice, the victory and superiority were thick. "You should head to class, Kiryuu-Kun. After all, the Night Class isn't as lenient on tardiness as the Day Class." In the unspoken words between them, as Zero silently damned his soul, Kaname let the hunter see the unspoken words in the smugness of his eyes. If Zero tried to skip, Kaname would have to bring him back and reprimand him personally.

When he was able to catch the slight widening of those silver eyes in fury and shock, when he was able to clearly watch that dark flush spread across his cheeks, Kaname chuckled and leaned in closer, bringing his lips centimeters from Zero's. "You know how I run my world, Zero. Now that you're part of it, I run you too. I suggest you get used to that quickly, or you'll find it difficult." In the breath of air between them, Kaname felt the burn of the level-D's glare and nearly-nearly-winced. "Awe, don't look so depressed. At least I'm not making you wear the girls' uniform…yet." He moved back before Zero had time to react, nodding down the hall to the door of that night's classroom. "You'd better hurry and find a seat before the rest of the Night Class arrives. I came early to attend to your…transfer, so smile."

He watched Zero's familiar scowl and admired those fiery lavender eyes as the hunter turned on his heel and stalked off towards the classroom. He was still wearing his Day Class uniform, but he'd have a Night Class one soon enough. Among other things, Zero would find that it had been conveniently left with the rest of his tings in the boxes just inside Kaname's dorm room, folded neatly with his new text books atop the boxes. He waited for the door to click shut before turning, on his own now, to face the intruder who'd been leaning against the windowpane down the hall…and within vampire earshot.

"I came early to see to last minute paperwork. By the looks of it, I'm too late to mediate your quarrel with Kiryuu-Kun?" Ichijou's voice grated at his nerves, and Kaname felt himself gritting his teeth. Behind that simple statement, his blond friend had spoken volumes. Unfortunately he was too late to stop them from being spoken aloud. "He'll snap at this rate. It's only a matter of time, Kaname. You can't keep pulling at him every time you see an opening."

He knew this. Yes, he knew this very well. Despite the small fact that he'd come to live for those livid reactions, he knew just how dangerous a game he was playing with Kiryuu. A wounded animal struck out in defense because it could do nothing else. Kiryuu was, in his mind, a wounded animal. Sooner or later, though, he was sure he could convince him to accept his fate… Hopefully sooner rather than later… To Ichijou, however, he merely shook his head. "Stay out of it, Takuma…"

The blond fidgeted, as if he wanted to say something more, but his expression eased and he sighed, nodding. "Fine, fine, but don't be surprised when he lashes out. You'd better hurry before the rest of the Night Class gets here. Aidou is very…emotionally distraught this evening. We could all smell your blood again…among other bodily fluids-some being Kiryuu-Kun's. Perhaps it would be best that you mediate that conflict before Zero shoots Aidou or vice versa…" he hummed, shaking his head. He'd conveniently left out the very…interesting noises the hunter had begun making after a while. It had taken him two volumes of his favorite BL manga and a round or two with Shiki to put him to sleep.

… … …

Zero heaved a sigh, sitting on the windowsill nonchalantly. His gun was within reach, and he'd propped one knee up on the edge of the window casually. From that angle, he watched the Night Class students file in and vaguely entertained the notion of picking a few off via an aerial assault. He had to quickly stifle that urge; however, as his gaze followed their white clad forms as they disappeared into the building. No, they were fast-and they could most likely kill him in time to prevent much damage…

Despite himself, he felt his eyes slowly closing the moment the door to the school shut. Under the wash of golden sunset, propped against the cool glass of the tall arching window, and within reach of his gun, he felt like he could fit hours of sleep into the minutes it would take the Night Class to reach the room. In time, they did reach the room…and Zero had successfully fallen asleep. Not even his instincts as a hunter were enough to prevent it when he was this in need of sleep. Despite the hours of sleep in the day, at Kaname's side, the night of…interesting pleasure had sapped most of his energy-which meant a few hours didn't even register on the help meter. He yawned in his sleep and shifted, eyelashes fluttering lightly.

Shiki sat closest, grey-blue eyes studying Kiryuu intently as he leaned his head lazily on the heel of his hand. He had that same bored, tired expression he always did, a monotone awareness that didn't register immediate danger to Zero's sleeping mind. Currently, the crimson haired vampire had begun a slow process of poking and prodding the ex-human's inner thigh with a wafer of strawberry pocky. He was humming quietly to himself.

Rima, who'd been sitting a row below Shiki, reached up with a stick of chocolate pocky she'd stolen earlier from Hanabusa. She, too, joined in the simple act. Her blond pigtails swayed as she turned her head to get a better look at their victim and blinked bored blue eyes in Shiki's direction. "He won't wake up," she noted bluntly, though her poking never ceased. When Shiki agreed with a blink of his eyes, they slowly raised the tips of their pocky sticks and poked lightly at Zero's bottom lip. It twitched and they smirked, finally getting a reaction.

Ruka, who'd taken up her seat calmly beside Rima, glared up at the silver haired hunter that sat perched in the window closest to the chair in which Kaname-Sama usually sat. She wanted to throw the glass of watery red liquid at him and growl, but something told her she should reconsider it. He wasn't there just to be there, and if she was right, it had something to do with those weird noises the night before… She felt her blood chill at that but ignored it. She would entrust Kaname-Sama to explain things to them in time. For now she turned her head and allowed her waves of soft blond hair to fall down her back. Her rose petal irises were fixated now on Hanabusa, who'd just entered beside Akatsuki. They narrowed and she knew tonight just wasn't her night.

Ichijou was nowhere to be seen, which left the two blonds seated beside Shiki. Kain was leaned back, stretched out, and relaxed. His head was tilted back so that his darker blond hair could fall over his amber eyes as he took a slow sip of the red blood substitute. Beside him, Aidou's icy blue pupils widened and the younger cousin snarled in protest. "Hey! That was mine, Akatsuki!"

Kain had allowed the glass to rest on his lips as he watched his cousin, blinking slowly. As he registered those words, he smirked dryly and leaned in, wrapping Hanabusa's thin fingers around the stem of the fluted glass. "Here," he muttered, leaning in until his lips grazed Aidou's. "Happy?"

Hanabusa Aidou was too busy blushing to notice Kiryuu right away, which was probably a good thing. His cheeks flushed and he leaned back in his seat to try and scrub away the sweetness of the kiss with the back of his hand. His cobalt eyes narrowed and he huffed childishly. "I told you not to do that here…" he muttered, biting his lower lip.

The door opened again and, in the calm, mediating manor he'd perfected, Ichijou strode in confidently and set down his books on the desk. As he slid in beside Shiki, he chuckled and captured the pocky stick between his lips, biting down lightly until it broke away. "Come now, don't tease him Senri. He's sleeping so peacefully…" Takuma's emerald eyes seemed to roll then, and he couldn't help but think 'thank God he's still sleeping…' No point in instigating a fight so early in the morning…night.

Senri blinked and seemed to consider his words a moment before nodding and leaning his head on the blonde's shoulder easily. They had a few minutes before class started, and Senri had gotten bored with poking at Kiryuu. He yawned and closed his eyes, half sleeping now as he enjoyed Takuma's warmth.

Silence had fallen over the room for a while, and the only light that filtered through the window was moonlight as its silver beams danced across pale faces, glossy desks, and luminous crimson eyes. It was that time-their time-the vampire's time to flourish. As the moon caught Zero's silver bangs, it illuminated them and caused him to stir lightly, though he did not wake yet. He was neck and neck with Shiki in the art of power napping.

In the silence of the room, the click of the door opening had the students standing automatically to bow. In unison, they greeted Kaname Kuran with a good evening and sat again, all eyes fixated on the man as he strode into the room. He wore no expression, and his calm wine colored eyes never flickered from straight in front of him. He bid them a good morning and waved his hand.

… … …

Kaname had to stifle a sigh of exhaustion as he moved through the front of the room without speaking, books under his arm and Seiren at his side. Like always, his bodyguard was silent and stony-faced, calm blue eyes scanning the room coolly. He knew, without turning, that she'd noticed Zero as well, though her unreadable expression and aura didn't register anything menacing. Cautious was a better word, but that was what Seiren felt towards any stranger who got close to her boss. He knew she was evaluating him, sizing him up, and taking in every detail. Likewise, he knew she'd not failed to miss the silver barrel of the anti-vampire weapon at his hip, protruding just barely from his blazer.

While her posture remained rigid, Kaname allowed his muscles to loosen slightly. He moved until he'd crossed the sea of staring-inquiring eyes to reach the chair by the window-by Kiryuu. He had to admit, as he neared the boy, that Zero was beautiful-art to be admired and undisturbed. In sleep, he was innocent, the sort of silent childlike innocent that had to be preserved. He knew, however, just how fleeting that innocence would be the moment the hunter woke. As he sat down, his long arm reached fluidly out to brush strands of silver from Kiryuu's pale face in admiration. This wasn't love; this was admiration of a piece of art.

His fingertips lingered, cool against that pale cheek, and Kaname was able to focus, briefly, on just how primal that beauty was. For a level-D, Zero was every bit a vampire when he probably didn't realize it. Hell, he had the cold hatred and distrust it took years to instill into vampire children.

… … …

Hanabusa scowled. Yes, it was far from a gentlemanly smile-something charming and pleasing to the eye-but he couldn't mask the open disgust at seeing Lord Kaname's fingertips tracing that _thing_ so intimately. He'd smelled it-they all had-that primal scent of sex and their master's blood as it mixed with loud moans and growling. They'd all been just getting back by the time those two had reached the second floor hallway and none out of them had been brave enough to spy… Seiren didn't count, of course, though she didn't seem to care what Lord Kaname did in his free time.

Without realizing it, Aidou noted with a flush of pink, he'd begun to dig his nails into the tabletop and claw at it. The spine of a book stabbing the back of his hand had him glaring down at Ruka, who'd turned around to glare at him in return. "Stop that annoying scratching noise, you animal," she muttered, and their eyes locked in fierce battle-as was their usual routine.

It was Kain's turn now, and he sighed as he leaned over and, tilting his head, bit lightly at Hanabusa's exposed neck. When it had gone to effectively shut the ice-wielding blond up, Kain sighed and patted his head like one might a child. "Just cool it, would you?" he muttered in that same unaffected way, though he knew just what affect that had had on his cousin. "You need more work on your people skills."

Before he could snap back, and OH did Aidou want to snap back as he held his tingling neck with his open palm, he felt Kain's knee brush against his. Who was this Zero? What had he done? Suddenly, and without reason, he forgot and the heat in his chest became all he could focus on. He hissed a sharp silent breath to keep him calm and rested his head on his open notebook…which was full of drawings of the bastard hunter, of his cousin…of Kaname-Sama.

… … …

Yagari couldn't help but glare. The sight was just too nerve wracking to keep him from expressing his distaste for the sight. As he stood at the podium and looked out over the students, all vampires, all clad in white-save his idiot apprentice at the window-he felt the bitter taste of hatred welling up inside him. He was armed, and that much calmed his nerves enough to function. He wanted to screw Cross's words about pacifism and harmony and just shoot them. It would make it easier…

"Quiet down…" he muttered, though the class obeyed immediately and silenced their silent chattering with one another. They'd all had their fair share of arguments with the hunter, and they weren't looking forward to causing another one just then. He waited until complied before speaking again, this time louder as his eyes fell back on Zero. "You at the window," he called so that Zero could hear him. "Wake up in my class!"

As if uttering magic words, Yagari watched the comical sight unfold. Instinct had Zero's eyes shooting wide open. He shot up and reached for his gun, fumbled it, and lost his balance. For a moment he thought the boy might just fall down the incline the desks provided…until a streak of white moved in the blink of an eye to scoop him out of the air.

… … …

Despite the amused chuckle of the Night Class, Kaname sighed and held tight to Zero's upper body until he was sure the boy had calmed and wouldn't embarrass himself. He waited for Zero to find his feet, fearing he may let go of Zero's waist and watch the boy crumple and take a tumble down the row of stairs. He knew the hunter was alright by the time he heard that annoyed growl, though, and smirked as he stepped back and sat back down, leaving Zero to stand on his own, flustered and confused.

"Kiryuu-Kun, please sit back down. There is no need to jump about," he muttered, as if he'd had no part in it now. The chuckles increased and he smirked as he watched the red flush of annoyance and embarrassment wash over Zero's expression. He didn't bother saying more as he opened his leather bound volume and began reading, as did the rest of the class.

Seiren, having used a handkerchief to pick up the weapon, handed it back to Zero handle first, her face still unreadable and emotionless. "Here," she stated plainly and turned to stand beside Kaname's chair silently.

… … …

Zero sighed as he grabbed the handle rather unceremoniously and shoved it back into his blazer. He sat down then and, taking the first leather bound volume that was handed to him, parted the pages to begin reading…except there was a small problem with that… It was all in Russian. It was too much to hope he could ask Kaname to translate, much less tutor him in Russian, but he somewhat wished he could find the strength just then. He couldn't make any sense out of it.

Glancing up as the chuckle spread out through the room, he blinked and heard Kaname sigh and stand to come and peak over his shoulder. Something told him this was a terrible joke when Kuran yanked the book out of his hand and replaced it with another volume. His cheeks heated up and he was about ready to die at that point. Glaring out past the top of the leather volume, he watched Kaname walk up to Hanabusa, who'd begun to snicker to himself.

"Is this amusing, Hanabusa? Must I remind you how impolite it is to switch our new student's textbook with your Russian literature textbook?" And before Aidou could respond, he felt the hard smack of leather against his bare cheek and winced. The entire class, minus Zero, Kaname, and Yagari…flinched slightly at the contact. A Russian text book about six inches thick had just left Kaname-Sama's hand with ease and smacked hard across Aidou's face…leaving quite a large red mark. The snickering picked up after a moment and Aidou fumed inwardly.

… … …

The rest of class went on in much the same way, and slowly Zero was becoming more at ease. This part, at least, was bearable with Yagari around to mediate. He had to admit Ichijou's help went a long way too…

Now, though, as he heard his sensei dismiss them, he sighed and knew there was another battle waiting for him. There was still a long stretch of time before the Night Class students headed back to their dorms, which meant that the mindless chatter would consume him again and make him want to put a bullet into something-anything-just to keep himself sane. Hell…his own foot might work, if he wasn't relying on it to kick the desk in annoyance.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! I'm writing this on Tuesday night, but I don't know if I'll finish it by then, so don't hate me! Anyways, thank you guys so much for your reviews! You don't know how much I thrive from reading them! I'm really glad about the positive response!**

**One thing, though, that caught my eye. Yes, Zero's and Kaname's feelings are severely jumbled by now, and not all of their deeper emotions are surfaced yet. They still need that intense angry build up, after all! That…and I couldn't write anything intensely emotional yesterday because my muse was all over the place. Wish me luck this time!**

It could have been worse. It could have been a lot worse. Even as Zero sat perched at the window, back to it as his gaze flickered from one alien face to the next, he knew this. For the most part, around Kuran, they weren't misbehaving or outwardly messing with him. That thought only went so far in calming his fraying nerves, however, and he couldn't keep the dangerous bitter scowl from his lips. Having never attended one of these classes, he'd never seen how they worked. To him, the Night Class had ceased to be important the moment his job as a prefect was over and until he caught one of them-or a curious human girl-peaking or spying around the surrounding forestry.

At least, he thought as he left Kaname to chatter, Cross had offered him some sort of incentive to join for this thirty day trial of what Hell must have looked like. He would be allowed one day of rest to do whatever he wanted after he'd finished with classes, studying with Kaname, and sufficient 'mingling' with his 'classmates'. It was supposedly to indorse pro-pacifism. He wouldn't be buying a time share to Hell anytime soon, he knew that much. Still, no one had openly mocked him…yet. He wasn't stupid, and he wasn't bull-headed enough to deny that was where his angelic demeanor ended. He gave a sarcastic roll of his lilac eyes in response to his own thought and sighed as he rested his elbow on his bent knee, cheek in his palm.

A lull in the white noise of conversation beyond his train of thought had Zero blinking and glancing up in slight confusion, annoyance not bothering to mask itself in his eyes. What did they want from him now? It wasn't bad enough that he'd had to attend? It wasn't enough that he'd agreed-against his earlier heated decision-to room with Kaname even for a night? His bitter scowl only grew worse at this as he sat up and glared, daring them to keep staring at him. In his musings, he'd failed to notice the large hand on his shoulder.

His instincts had dulled-he was certain. Either that or he was becoming far too comfortable in this limbo between Hell and…a half step above it. As the hand on his shoulder moved, however, his instincts shot up in him like a coiled spring and he wheeled his head around to glare dangerously and hiss-fangs bared-at the intruder. When the grip only tightened and the deep voice chuckled coldly, he knew he'd overreacted. At least he'd not jumped up again…

"Get your hand off my shoulder, Kuran." His voice was edged in ice and he was struggling to not overreact to the touch. He wanted desperately to shrug away from it and coil up in the corner of the sill to avoid the spark of heat that sprang up in his all too eager body. Eventually he settled for swatting the hand away and glancing out across the moonlit treetops again. Kaname was saying something, and that was when it clicked that they'd been asking him something.

He turned in time to hear Kuran's voice echo the question, though his mind vaguely registered it had been Rima who'd asked. "What brings you to the Night Class, Kiryuu?"

Those words, echoed so smugly over Kaname's beautiful-cruel-lips, were cold and sharply amused. It was when the pureblood didn't move to back him up with an explanation, when he sat there staring at Zero expectantly, that he realized the vampire was leaving him out on his own to flounder. They both knew pride wouldn't let him admit the truth-admit to being a monster that needed 'babysitting' by a 'good hearted pureblood like Kaname-Sama'. He cringed at the reality and sat up, reluctantly leaving his hands safely at his sides. Pulling his gun now would result in some sort of retaliation and eventually a fight. As much as he wanted to take the challenge, though, he wasn't stupid. He'd end up getting in trouble for it, and that was something he didn't need right now.

"You mean they didn't tell you?" Before his voice could stop-before he could keep himself from uttering those words, they were out. He watched the nobles lean back in distaste and knew that had shaken them. He smirked dryly at that, as if he were discussing the weather. He sat taller now, knowing just how to get to them. Every high and mighty noble loved a horror story, didn't they? He would give them one they wouldn't forget then. He cleared his throat, ignoring Kaname's warning glance off to the side.

"It's not my fault. I hadn't eaten in…" he paused and counted blandly on his fingertips before shrugging. "I hadn't eaten in a few weeks, and I was starving. This hunger wasn't normal-not like what I usually felt. Did you know? Vampire blood-especially noble and pure blood-is delicious?" He heard them take a collectively sharp inhale of breath before continuing. "It was, too. I didn't stop drinking, didn't stop sucking big mouthfuls, until the body went still under my fingers. That sweet blood slid down my throat like liquid fire, and my fangs ached for more. He wasn't much to devour, really, but I lost my bloodlust before I could kill him. I guess he shouldn't have pissed me off, and maybe I wouldn't have snapped like that. After that I felt normal-sane-enough to put away my gun and let him live." He shrugged, as if it were normal, and sighed, rolling his shoulders.

He rallied in his momentary victory and his lavender eyes swept the room with cruel amusement. Their faces were scandalous, and Kaname had paled in horror-not at his story, but at the repercussions. This meant bad PR for the pureblood, and Zero could handle that. They would all talk about him, all fear him, and he suddenly felt victorious in his quest. No longer would they look down on him as weak. Word in the vampire world would travel fast, he knew, and by midday, word would have reached the Senate and the Council. What could they do to him? By then the story would be blown out of proportion-turned into legend with no basis of fact. The worst they could do was take him out of that class and lock him up which, in his professional opinion, he found more pleasing a choice.

Slowly, he felt the shock wear off and knew the rioting would begin. He was ready for it now, though. He smirked inwardly, and welcomed it. The whispering was getting louder, swelling, and the expressions told him just what he wanted to know. He'd succeeded in sending at least some of Kuran's world crashing down, and he figured that much was enough for now-enough for the pureblood's sneaking behind his back to force him into the Night Class. Now they had a reason to be afraid. They had a reason to consider him an animal. He smirked as he leaned back on his palms and watched the rage in those multiple sets of crimson eyes flash and glow cruelly. He didn't bother hiding his gun then and arched a rebellious brow.

It was Hanabusa who spoke first, standing now without argument from Kaname. No one else spoke, and they might have all been hoping the fiery ice-wielder would vent all of their hatred the only way Aidou knew how. It was suddenly tense-suddenly a spectacle or a contest. Aidou narrowed cold eyes-like shards of ice-in Zero's direction as he circled the desk and came to stand in front of the ex-human. They stood like that for a long second, neither male glancing away. Their eyes didn't waver.

Under his skin, Hanabusa Aidou's power crackled and sizzled, uncontrolled and dangerous, in a cold sort of rage. He was gritting his teeth, clenching his jaw, and steam might have started to pour from his ears. When Kaname-Sama made no move to intercept him, probably still taken aback by Zero's brash statements, Aidou advanced dangerously and yanked the hunter up by the collar of his shirt to slam into the wall next to the window. The hard thud and a hiss of air was a satisfying sound to his ears as he watched Zero comprehend what was happening.

The brat thought he'd won. Zero recalled this being the last coherent thought he'd had before reacting. Suddenly, and with a force that sent his mind reeling back into that thick darkness, the monster in him leapt up with a feral growl and his hands came out, no longer relying on human weapons for protection. He knew without being told that his eyes had flickered and remained glowing crimson, or that his fangs were aching and protruding in an animal's hunger from his parted lips. He growled low in his throat and threw Aidou, using the strength he'd gained after feeding from the pureblood the night before. Ah, reckless violence felt so good after so long.

He watched with sick amusement as Aidou was sent crashing down against the middle row of desks, sliding to the end on his back and knocking away the other students' papers and books in the process. They sat where they were, not willing to enter this fight as they watched it unfold. They were all just a little bit afraid of the silver haired level-D now. Zero followed him, stepping up with ease onto the tabletop to stride over and glare down into those wide cerulean eyes. He was smirking now, and Aidou had taken to cowering. Obviously the noble hadn't expected him to react so violently, and not even a noble was willing to fight in the confines of a classroom.

Vaguely, Zero's ears picked up the sound of a scooting chair and tapping feet. An ominous feeling grew at the pit of his stomach and he swallowed hard, knowing whatever was coming wasn't going to be good. Still, he didn't turn. That worry lay under his feral need for bloodshed still, unable to be recognized while he was still so angry. Only when the clearing of a throat resounded did he blink and, slowly, turn to the white clad figure at the other end of the table. His fiery red eyes dimmed and retained their lavender glow as he watched Kuran stare him down with cold displeasure.

He gritted his teeth hard and, against his better judgment, allowed his hand to come out and into the pureblood's outstretched one. He felt the tug and stepped down off the table and to Kaname Kuran's side. Suddenly he felt so small, so childishly insignificant, beside the man. It was as if looking back on the quarrel with Hanabusa had made him realize that after seeing the chastising chill of those vermillion eyes. "Perhaps," The deep voice echoed in the room and he stiffened some, gritting his teeth. Kaname wasn't about to let it go… "Perhaps you and I should talk in private, Kiryuu."

His teeth clenched and, biting his lip scornfully, took a step away, snatching back his hand to hold close to his chest. Zero's scowl hadn't changed, and he briefly glanced at Hanabusa, as if warning the vampire not to get too close. He was pleased-just slightly-when the blond vampire took his seat beside Kain and shut up. He could feel the glare, but it hardly affected him.

… … …

Kaname sighed inwardly, wanting to shake his head and click his tongue at Zero, as if the boy's antics had proved childish enough to warrant the human response. Instead, he stared the hunter down and reached out, taking the silver haired vampire by the upper arm in a vice grip as he led the boy out into the hall. The silence there was deafening, but far lighter than that of the classroom. With Yagari yet to be located, he had time to get Zero out of the building and into the surrounding woods-deep into the dense trees-before he spoke again, this time with a hint of rage seeping into his own voice.

"Are you going to make it your job to make my life a living hell, Zero? Do you realize just how stupid that was? I can't believe you…" No last names now, no pretenses. As he shoved the hunter hard against the tree, he heard the light whoosh of air and wondered if he'd maybe pushed him too hard. Still, the hunter was durable, and they had more important things to think about. He didn't let his grip loosen now, and his nails dug into Zero's wrists as he held them above the level-D's head against the rough bark of the tree. It was cold that night, and the wind had begun to pick up, crisp with the promise of coming autumn in the air. There, under the shade of newly changed golden leaves, the moonlight cast a scattered fracture of silver light over their faces, though vampire sight didn't require such means of lighting in the natural world.

… … …

Zero blinked slowly at that and winced at the dull ache of pain through his body. Damn, that had hurt. Still, he didn't know what he was more afraid of just then. Yes, Kaname's burning rage was intense, but his cold rage was unnerving. Likewise, outward threats and arguing were Zero's forte. With Kaname this angry, the pureblood wasn't using his voice but his gaze-A gaze Zero couldn't tear his eyes from. Those fiery eyes were like twin razors now and he was just a bit afraid of them.

"That damn Aidou started it! I didn't do any-…" _SMACK!_ His eyes widened a fraction of a second before the pain erupted in cheek, sending a blinding white through his gaze. His body fell back against the tree and he held his sore cheek gingerly in his fingertips. That had hurt… "I was defending myself…" he muttered in defense, as if that made it better-as if that was proof enough that Kaname should take his side and not that bratty Aidou's. Why wouldn't he?

His answer came in the form of a scowl from the pureblood prince. It stopped his heart momentarily, and he-for a moment at least-didn't feel the instinctive trail of hot tears prickling just at the corners of his eyes-threatening to fall. It was a reaction to pain and…something else. What else, though? What was this empty, lonely feeling? He'd done the right thing, hadn't he?

… … …

Kaname forced himself to reign in his temper enough to speak again. This time his voice was calm and he did feel a bit guilty. He'd acted brashly again, and he still couldn't figure out what had sparked such an intense reaction from his usually calm mind. He sighed, head shaking slowly. "Zero, perhaps you don't believe me when I say I'll punish you. You are a part of the Night Class for now, and as such you are expected to hold back that annoying temper of yours. You instigated it with that lie about drinking a noble's blood." His eyes narrowed and he dared Zero to challenge him and say it wasn't a lie. Something in him told him to fear those words.

Instead of responding, however, he watched Zero turn away from him and glare at the hard packed earth below him. His arms had crossed over his chest, refusing to graze his bright red cheek, and those violet eyes didn't glance upward for a long moment. Kaname watched Zero bite his lip hard, watching the trickle of blood as it slowly slid down the pale expanse of his chin, past his slightly pink full lips. That was a good look for the hunter, actually…though it had to hurt.

Suddenly realization took up inside him and he blinked in surprise. "You were talking about me…" It was a simple statement, not a question. "Why did you tell them that, Zero?" Kaname sighed then and threw up his hands in defeat before turning. "You know what, Kiryuu-Kun? I don't want to know at this point. I'm done fighting with you. Either you'll do what I say, or you'll be punished accordingly." He knew his threat had worked when he sensed Zero's posture straightening. Those violet eyes must have widened. Perhaps suddenly using the hunter's last name had done it.

He'd begun to walk now and shoved his hands into his pockets carelessly. He already knew the level-D wouldn't let it end there. He'd wounded the silver haired hunter deeply. Nothing was deeper than pride to a hunter…and a vampire. He felt him there, felt his anger, before he ever heard him or saw him. That spicy scent of his blood hit him hard and he staggered as hands gripped the back of his white school uniform. He scowled and whirled around to face Zero, pushing the hunter a few steps away with his upper arm, careful to not hurt the boy too much.

… … …

Zero growled in return, a low rumble from deep inside his throat. "You can't do that, damn vampire!" He would admit the use of his last name had left a bitter taste in his mouth, but anger was better than regret or astonishment. As he fell into it, fell into that role he knew how to play so well, he lunged at Kaname again and grabbed the man's shirt collar roughly in both hands, shaking the vampire hard. His fangs were out, this time not in hunger-but in rage. His eyes were quick to flicker red this time as he leaned down and bit threateningly at Kaname's throat, though still not breaking the skin. He wanted the vampire to fear him, to stay away from him. He wanted to show that asshole that he couldn't be told what to do and how to do it by a pureblood idiot.

"Zero…" The calmness of the voice startled him and his grip on Kaname's shirt loosened. Every nerve had been set aflame at hearing that deep, silky amusement. He had been expecting a violent punishment, the gnashing of teeth, some blood…but not this. His anger slowly faded even as he sat straddling Kaname Kuran's upper thighs, leaving a heated blush simmering just beneath his chilled cheeks. He was panting with the effort to concentrate on being angry, panting because of the anger itself. Suddenly it was hot-too hot-and the black blazer he wore became too much.

He leaned down and, growling again, nipped at the pureblood's neck, this time in a sort of fondness that his mind and body couldn't seem to agree upon. Why did it feel so strange? "I hate you so much…" he muttered bitterly, eyes narrowing now as he pushed away. He wasn't about to fall for a vampire's charms so easily. Still, the knowledge that it hadn't been entirely a charm just now had him cringing inwardly…just like last night, when he'd completely given himself over to that passion. His body shivered automatically at the memory and he hitched a sharp breath, realizing Kaname was staring up intently at him.

… … …

"Zero, don't hold back." That one statement, uttered with such simplicity and power, had the hunter's body shifting above his. Kaname grinned wolfishly at the affect and brought his hands up to grab Zero's blazer. He yanked hard and suddenly the vampires lay face to face, one on top of the other. He smirked then and leaned off the ground enough to press the tips of his fangs to Zero's neck. As he felt the boy shudder, a pleasure of his own raced through him. The sensation of dominating the level-D was sweet…and perfect punishment, now that he thought about it. He smirked, laying back and drawing Zero down with him.

Already he could tell by the haze of those lavender eyes that he'd affected his hunter. It was only a matter of time. "Zero~" he whispered, feeling that control slipping reluctantly from the hunter's grasp. "Zero, are you feeling warm? Where do you want me to touch you, Zero?" With every utterance of his hunter's name, Kaname's voice darkened and his vermillion eyes glinted. Already his dark bangs had fallen across his eyes, and he could feel Zero's silver bangs caressing his cheeks-that was how close they were. Just a little closer…a little more…

By now that harsh glare was still an inferno, though it was countered by pleasure as he felt Zero's body arch against him like a cat in heat. That was the primal need for contact, he knew, and he doubted Zero realized it. By the shameful confusion in those lilac pools, he obviously hadn't understood his natural reaction.

"I-ahh-I hate you, Kura-Kaname…" No, he thought as he drew just his fingertips up and down Zero's spine, coming now to cup the boy's rear hard. That earned him the breathy moan he so loved. "I don't…regret anything…" he bit out between moans as his eyes screwed tightly shut. Obviously he wasn't about to admit defeat, or that he was sorry.

Kaname would change that. He always did, didn't he? He drew his fingertips down slowly to the cloth covering Zero's entrance and pressed, feeling the body press flush against him as its owner panted and moved, writhed and mewed desperately above him. That was-he knew-the way it should be. His hunter was supposed to bend to his whims… So why didn't this one? Why did it set his blood to boiling when the silver haired teen got so angry? Still, he couldn't let it go unpunished.

He smirked as he felt Zero lean down to nuzzle his neck, that unsure glare fading quickly now as he longed for the skin to skin contact. Kaname didn't feel bad that he'd used the opportunity to exert the power of his blood as it coursed through Zero's veins. He moved fluidly and pressed Zero's back firmly against the hard packed earth before kissing him, full of the hunger he'd been ignoring all night. When he felt Zero kissing back he smirked and licked the vampire's bottom lip slowly. "Zero~" he cooed again, feeling the boy react so strongly to just his name being called. "Zero… This is my world, and I always win. You are part of my world, and I still always win. I won't be gentle next time I have to punish you."

He smirked as he sat up, dusting himself off as he climbed to his feet with ease. He left Zero sitting/sprawling out across the cold ground as he righted his blazer. "I would suggest getting back to the school on time to leave with the rest of us, Kiryuu-Kun. Punctuality is mandatory you know."

… … …

Zero, face pale and lips still parted in panting, glared furious burning lavender pools at Kaname's back. That had all been a trick-a joke? He growled as he stood, shaking his body back into normalcy before reluctantly following. The blond hair and green eyes that stood far off in the trees told him Kaname had done that on purpose-probably to prove his point. While he didn't doubt Takuma would keep it to himself, the thought that he'd been reduced to that made him glare at the vampire in distrust. If Takuma was out there, then no doubt other vampires had tagged along. That familiar heat at his back meant Hanabusa was probably nearby, as well as Ruka… Great, the shit would fly later…


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't upload anything yesterday! I was busy decorating my Senior Class Hallway for Homecoming. We won! I don't really care who won though, because the other classes were really awesome. I just loved helping out! Anyways, here you go! I hope you enjoy!**

"If you're tired, go to sleep." Kaname sighed as he leaned in the door of his study and watched the silver haired male shuffle through piles of clothes in weary resignation. They'd gotten back fairly quickly and he'd followed his rebellious hunter up the stairs and into their now shared room almost immediately. He was being ignored, but Kaname was suddenly too tired to care. Yes, he'd sensed the looks of disdain from the rest of the Night Class out there, but he wasn't about to punish them for peaking. After all, Zero's was meant to be a public punishment.

Zero, he noted with dry amusement, didn't find the peeping eyes to be of any comfort or justice. Those sharp violet eyes were cold and lacked Zero's usual fiery anger. Had it really affected the hunter that much to be publically made a fool of? He did it to Aidou regularly, via slaps across the face. Perhaps the hunter society didn't punish the way vampire society did, then.

As he stood boring holes into the level-D's back, his wine colored eyes lost their own chill. They were thoughtful now and studied the lean ridges of Zero's back and hips. His hunter was strong indeed-fast too. He was a force of nature, feared by many vampires. Was that why he couldn't reach Zero? The boy's anger stemmed from a lot, but his ideals stemmed from being a hunter. He didn't know how to accept being a vampire-the very beast he despised. When at last he gained a grunt of indignation in response, Kaname heaved a weary sigh and pushed off the door frame, striding over to kneel down behind him silently and with slow easy movements.

"Zero," he whispered, leaning forward to wrap his arms around Zero's thin waist. When the boy stiffened rigidly and growled, he continued. "Zero, don't be mad because I broke your pride. I'll kiss it and make it better if you'd like." His voice was a teasing purr, a soft low growl from deep inside him as fire came into his eyes. Any prospect of taking the hunter had brought the beast inside Kaname to leap up at the chance and lick its metaphoric lips in yearning. His grip tightened and he felt Zero begin to squirm some. "Is it because I embarrassed you in front of everyone?"

With every slowly drawled word, Kaname felt Zero's tension build between his shoulder blades. He'd noticed, in his pondering of the hunter, that the fiery anger didn't come close to expressing the rest of what bothered Zero. The hunter kept more to himself than anyone would believe. Kaname knew this because that tension would build between the shoulders and the silver haired vampire would begin to clench his fists at his sides in protest. His jaw would tighten and he would shut his eyes slowly. Sometimes, when he was really flustered, Kaname could watch from a distance as Zero reached for his gun. It was his safety blanket, one he could potentially take away as punishment, he thought with a smirk.

He waited a few more minutes to speak and, when Zero pointedly began to ignore his prodding, spoke more firmly. "While my blood courses through you, I have a certain amount of control over you. Put this aside, take a shower, and climb in bed." It wasn't a plea anymore. Instead, he untangled himself from Zero and stood, kicking one of two cardboard boxes with a curious foot. "Argue with me again, Zero, I dare you. Your night pants should be on the counter in the bathroom already."

… … …

Zero refused to acknowledge his existence. He was forcing his body not to react to the command now, or to Kuran's teasing. With the roll of his lavender eyes in a show of boredom, he went right back to rifling through his school uniforms and day clothes. So scarce were his day clothes that they fit all into one large box. He'd never relied on much, just what he could throw into a bag at the last minute to take on a mission. His clothes were ragged by now, outdated and worn out to the point where many fabrics had begun to fray and thin, grow holes in them. Still, he hung on to them. Besides, a hunter's salary, especially since he earned only half of it as a minor, was meager and allowed only for necessities. It was his pride that wouldn't allow him to ask the chairman to buy him clothes, much less Yuki. His clothes held up just fine…usually.

In his ignoring of the pureblood, he failed to notice the shifting behind him. He turned back to the second box, full of keep sakes and memories-mostly pictures of him and Yuki, Yagari-Sensei, Cross, or White Lily. He blinked and felt the small smile tug at his lips fondly…until he reached a particular photo album. He flipped it open slowly and his posture changed. He could no longer sit on his knees. He shifted and sat firmly on the ground as he thumbed through it.

Pictures of his mother and father, of himself…and Ichiru filled the book, smiling faces mingling with the horrific scene that was forever engraved in his memories. Shizuka Hio…that monster had made him a monster, had taken his twin and pitted one against the other. She had destroyed Zero and taken Ichiru, leaving him to despise and blame himself for being unable to stop it. He hardly noticed as tears trailed down his cheeks. He hardly felt them in this numb state. His grip on the album tightened and relaxed sporadically and for a moment he didn't register movement beside him.

Without realizing it, he glanced up and blinked away tears from his eyes to watch Kaname fold himself gracefully into a crouch before him. Those wine colored eyes suddenly looked so…safe. It felt like he could drown in them and, finally, be safe. He barely heard the sniffle that he made as he stared into that handsome face. All at once he felt so lost-like a child who'd lost his mother… The album slid from his fingers and suddenly Kaname had it. How had he…?

The instinct to protect what was his, what he considered the last remnants of his humanity and a life of happiness before his personal hell had begun, surged through his body. He lunged forward now and growled, clawing for the album that rested in Kaname's hands. He reached for it and yelped, eyes flying wide open as air pushed against his back and he fell-was pushed-backwards and held down by a hand on his chest. He growled and thrashed, but the hand didn't release him. He whimpered pathetically, slowing and finally stopping his thrashing now to begin to softly sniffle and scrub at his eyes. "Give it back, damn it…"

… … …

Kaname did glance down now, the weakness in that voice distracting him from his glimpse of Zero's past. The hunter had seemed so happy, so innocent, in those pictures. In one, Zero was standing with his twin and Yagari, their arms around one another's shoulders. They were laughing. Another picture was of Zero and Ichiru curled up on the couch with their mother. Another was of Zero's mother and father alone. In everything, those lavender eyes that infuriated him to no end racked his nerves and melted something inside him. Had Shizuka truly broken him so?

The soft whimpers caught his ear now and he glanced down to where he pinned Zero by the chest to the floor. He was no longer hissing, thrashing, and struggling. Instead, the boy's silver hair just barely hid his puffy red eyes and the utter brokenness that Zero was too weak to suppress.

He moved his hand away just then and watched Zero begin to slowly sit up, still swiping at his lilac eyes. He was more composed now, but he was still too weak to hide that brokenness. It was then that Kaname sighed and leaned over, surprising the hunter. "Easy…easy…" he whispered pulling the hunter up flush against his body in order to stroke his strands of silky silver hair, pushing them out of Zero's face calmly as he felt the hunter bury his face in his chest. Zero was clutching his black button up shirt now and his fists were shaking as he clutched at anything that would keep him from shattering completely. "Come on; let's get you cleaned up and in bed. You need your rest."

… … …

Zero gasped as he felt himself be lifted from the ground with ease. Those strong arms were holding him tightly, and he didn't bother speaking now as he felt himself being moved towards a familiar door. The bathroom beyond was sleek and modern, and his body shivered at the slight chill in the air. "I'm fine…" he muttered, voice still shaky as he bit his lip. "I can just take a shower and sleep on the couch for now… I'll get my stuff out of your way soon…"

When Kaname simply ignored him, Zero bit his lip and narrowed his eyes, forcing himself back into a stubborn hunter. That was his defense, after all. It kept him from shattering. Especially around a pureblood like Kaname, keeping it together was his best option. If he showed any weakness, the vampire would simply exploit it to make a fool out of him in front of everyone. This stung something deep inside him and he gritted his teeth, pushing against the vampire's chest now as he demanded to be set down. "I can walk…" he muttered, face heating with a different redness now.

He felt Kaname's hold become tighter-rigid now-and shrank a little inside. The vampire wasn't usually intimidating to Zero. This, though…this was intimidating. Kaname appeared absolutely murderous just then. If his expression wasn't an indication, his words certainly were.

"Zero," he began in warning, glancing down with thoughtful dark eyes at the boy that struggled in his arms. Zero stopped immediately and glanced up at him, blinking confused violet eyes. "You're sleeping in my bed, and your clothes will be hung up beside mine…whatever's decent at least. The rest we'll throw away."

Rage bubbled where sorrow had been in that large trench that had been filled with years of unspoken emotion. "Like hell you're throwing any of my clothes away! They're fine…" It wasn't that he couldn't get more somehow. He could with the chairman's and Yagari's help. His pride, however, refused to relent. He'd actually been considering throwing some articles away in hopes of replacing them. "Also, I can sleep on the couch. I don't take up much space, and I've slept on worse…" Hell, he'd slept on concrete before on one mission.

… … …

As he listened, Kaname was certain the level-D was trying to anger him somehow. Not intentionally, he knew, but still. He scowled and slammed the bathroom door behind them, locking it firmly. "Alright," he stated coldly, realizing this was the only way he was going to deal with Zero right now. How the hell did Takuma think treating the hunter with kindness would help? "If you keep up that stubborn attitude of yours, I'll tell everyone everything. I'll tell them how you cried and why…I'll show them what made you cry."

It was a low blow and they both knew it. Kaname didn't flinch, but he watched those misty lavender eyes widen with shock and horror. That red face paled and the grip on his shirt tightened. Yep, he'd struck a nerve. "Don't even dare telling them! I'll kill you before you tell them, you bloodsucking mother-", He leaned in then and swallowed the rest of the profanity with a force so strong it nearly crackled in the small room.

He felt Zero's body grow rigid again, felt those fists in his shirt loosen, and slowly his pet began to kiss back. What started out as something fiery and full of power on both ends was dying down now into something slow and easy, something beautifully sensual. He held the back of Zero's head, forcing the boy's lips to remain in gridlock with his even as his other hand settled the boy down on the cool tile. Their lips never left one another and Kaname shivered, for once feeling his hunter giving up at least a fraction of his pride without the use of force or seduction.

When at last he pulled away, Kaname sighed and leaned down to press a tender kiss to the boy's temple. "Then for once just listen to me?" Alright, he thought with slight amusement, perhaps now his pet would listen. He'd been nice, in his opinion. He'd been kind enough not to slap the stupid right off of Zero. Why wouldn't the hunter let him help? He was quickly growing weary of these bouts of willfulness. It would stop if he made it, but he knew Zero would never be happy with that. Fine, he'd play Takuma's game and see what it brought him.

As he surfaced from his pondering his vermillion eyes focused intently on the hunter in his arms. Zero had calmed a few degrees, and now the boy stood unsteadily leaning against his chest, hands still holding desperately onto his shirt. Those luminous eyes refused to meet his, though, and he had to fight back annoyance. In time, he reminded himself. In time he would get the boy to accept these conditions. "Fine-do what you want…just don't tell them…" Zero's muttered agreement, though the boy probably didn't want to admit it or acknowledge it, was a giant leap to Kaname.

"Alright, now come take a bath before you go to bed. You aren't going to sleep on the couch. Zero, just behave and we'll get along just fine." He watched as Zero stepped slowly into the large claw footed bathtub, sinking languidly down into the water until the hot liquid came up to his neck. Did he realize he was stroking the tattoo on his neck? Kaname had to wonder about that as he stared at the hunter's defenseless expression. Did it hurt? Was his new guest hungry?

The usual disgust a pureblood had at bearing his neck to a Level-D wasn't there as he brought his nails up to scrape a thin line along his exposed throat, allowing the ruby droplets to begin sliding lazily down the pale expanse of his neck. He leaned over and was in time to watch Zero's eyes snap open. This amused him simply because the hunter's hand tightened over the tattoo and he had begun sniffing the air.

He watched Zero's parted lips, watched the boy move his tongue along them to wet them as bath water glistened off of the sharp ivory of newly elongated fangs. It was most likely something subconscious, a natural reaction of some sort. Whatever the case, Kaname chuckled. It suited the hunter's thoughtful gaze and he found he quite enjoyed it. Somehow that unguarded expression made Zero look his age-just another teenager. He watched Zero's gaze turn and fall on the wound at Kaname's neck. The instant flicker of recognition gave way quickly to a deeper look of hunger and resentful bitterness.

"Stop screwing with me…" Zero's tone was bitter and cold now as he averted his gaze, shifting until he could reach for the soap and a rag. "I'm fine." He wasn't and they both knew it. They both knew the kind of hunger that echoed in the boy's thin frame. Besides indignation though, there was something else in Zero's wary violet irises. Was that fear he saw there? What could Zero possibly be afraid of? It wasn't fear that usually separated them…

"Zero," he mused, voice melodic now as he rested his arm on the bathtub, black shirt sleeves rolled to the elbow. He'd undone his collar now to expose his throat and had allowed his wavy dark hair to fall before his eyes. "What scares you the most, Zero? What is your biggest fear? You aren't skittish around blood, you've killed before…so what is it? What makes your toes curl and your stomach jump, hmm?" His voice was a low purr now and he'd begun to lean further over the tub to whisper into the hunter's ear. He punctuated each question with a small nip of the earlobe or kisses at the neck, hands coming out to steady Zero's thin body and keeps it from jerking away.

… … …

Zero froze, paling beneath that intense dark gaze. It was hot enough to melt ice and smooth enough to wrap around every inch of his body in the most sensual, intimate of ways. He resented that, but he resented the way his body reacted to those kisses and playful nips to his ear. For the most part he forced himself not to moan, though he was fast losing control over himself. Already he'd begun to lean in to the touch and shift in the water, making it slosh over his thin form. It was almost-almost-enough to draw him out and forget that he'd ever been afraid of…that…

Still, he had some sense left. He gritted his teeth and brought up the flat palm of his hand to the pureblood's chest, pushing away hard even as he moved to stand. His eyes narrowed now, unaffected by the intimate teasing. "Don't do that, damn it! I'm not a damn puppet…" he growled, though his body was becoming extremely weak after seconds of standing in the steamy bathroom. Suddenly the world began to spin slowly, and he wobbled slightly. He was falling…falling so quickly… His eyes closed and he didn't bother opening them again as he gripped the black cloth of a sleeve.

He vaguely recalled staring up into Kaname's dark eyes as the world around him spun. "Nn… I'm scared…of losing control. I'm scared, Kaname. I don't want to become a bloodsucking monster…"


	6. Chapter 6

**Uh, I first want to say… Holy COW! I just started writing this today and it ended up being twelve pages long! Hours of…interesting descriptions are packed in here for your viewing pleasure! Thank you all so much for your encouraging reviews! I wrote this chapter, and yes it WILL go to further the plot, just for you! Keep in mind that there is explicit yaoi in this chapter, so if you don't like it then… Well, why have you been READING my story? There's yaoi in, like, the FIRST chapter! Anyways, enjoy!**

Was his hunter planning to kick him out of the bed? Sitting up, Kaname was fairly certain that was Zero's master plan. Already the boy had kicked, punched, and even bitten Kaname's shoulder once in his sleep. While the Level-D could be quite clingy in his sleep, Kaname was quickly realizing just how violent he could be as well. No doubt it had a lot to do with the photo album that had been left on the floor of his study. Sometimes he wished he could read Zero like he could anyone else, but then this game of theirs wouldn't be nearly as much fun.

That being said, he flicked Zero in the nose for the hundredth time and scooted the boy's sprawled body over enough to settle back in. This time, however, he draped a leg over both of Zero's, caging the hunter's upper body in his arms. There, now he just had to worry about being bitten again. They certainly weren't love bites, he knew that for sure. When a glance at the ornate Victorian Era clock on his bedside table revealed he'd been sleeping for only an hour, Kaname couldn't help the sigh that heaved from his chest. Exasperation was quickly taking place of the tender loving care he'd meant to use on Zero. If the boy punched him one more time, he'd have to cuff his arms and legs to the bed-Not that he had any problem with that, but he knew Zero would chew him out for sore muscles in the morning if he did.

So, yawning, he settled back in and dragged Zero's head over to rest on his bare shoulder. He could see, from where he lay beneath the warmth of red satin sheets on a canopy bed of dark glossy wood, the faintest outline of the sunlight that was slowly beginning to rise over the horizon. By now, he thought wearily, Yuki would be in class and worrying endlessly about Zero. He sighed at that and his fingertips moved to gingerly tuck silver bangs behind Zero's ear. Zero would come to miss her. After spending so many years as her adoptive brother, Zero had to have come to love Yuki the way Kaname did.

Still, he couldn't help the tingle of envy that nipped and tugged at the edge of his heart. He knew it was foolish to envy Yuki, but she'd always been able to make Zero smile, or get a reaction out of him. She had always had the power to sooth that beast inside his hunter and read him like a book. Zero trusted her like he'd never trusted anyone before, and he'd let her come close. Yes, he thought with resignation, Yuki could and always would be able to appeal to the ex-human's different emotions on a level that Kaname could only hope to graze. As it was, the only core emotion he'd ever elicited, besides hatred and rage, had been pleasure. He'd appealed to that most primal longing for contact, for touch, and Zero had responded against his will.

He came out of his thoughts slowly, like surfacing from a dream or coming up for air after diving to the depths of a bottomless ocean. What he saw there, and what he felt, took a moment to register in his mind. Zero had reacted to his small strokes, had nuzzled into the hand he'd been using to brush along the hunter's silver bangs. He had performed, what was to his mind, a miracle. He had soothed Zero's nightmares with the simplest of touches. He smiled softly and, appealing to the yearning to see that expression again, repeated the feather-light touch, this time along the slope of Zero's soft pale cheek.

Those long lashes fluttered and he watched as Zero's expression tightened and slowly relaxed into something childlike and defenseless. He felt it as the smaller male moved against him, setting his nerves on fire. The soft caress of Zero's fingertips along his chest momentarily shattered every thought in Kaname's head. Zero was wrapping himself around Kaname now, nuzzling into him in his sleep.

To this, Kaname chuckled silently and shifted, wrapping his arms tenderly around the pale body that pressed against his own. That heartbeat was stronger now-steady-and Zero's aura began to cool and warm in a more relaxed and natural way. This was the expression he so rarely glimpsed on the hunter. For once, they were no longer vampire and hunter. Instead, they were two beings sharing one bed, both searching and yearning for the intimate touch of the other. The primal need for sex wasn't there, not now-simply the urge to hold Zero and stroke away all of those troubling thoughts. Ah, if the other Night Class students could see him now. They would think he'd gone completely mad.

Perhaps, he thought with the gentlest of touches, he was already mad. He knew that, the moment those lavender eyes fluttered open, the spell would be broken and their separate beings would remain as such, no longer craving the touch of the other to survive. They would revert back to the mild friction that had remained between them. They would fall back into their bickering, and Kaname would once again feel the urge to force the hunter to submit. The warm feelings would slowly sink back into the corners of their hearts until both could accept the simple need for unity once more. There was, he knew, that most basic need for blood, but it wasn't the same. Only when he could hold his hunter again in that intimate way and feel Zero's fangs pierce his neck would he be truly whole.

He fell asleep that way, wrapped up beside Zero, their limbs entangled under crimson satin in the dark of his room-a room he'd once considered his personal cage. The door had, though he only vaguely realized it, been thrown wide open, and the cage had taken on a warmer, more cherished, appeal. Now that he shared it with Zero, the cage was built for two.

… … …

It hurt. His heart ached and threatened to shatter in his chest. They were memories-sick and twisted dreams he'd refused to acknowledge. They were his mind's way of dealing with the pain. In that darkness, in that darkness that shackled him to the past, Zero watched the distorted macabre faces of his mother and father, of Ichiru, of Yagari, and of Yuki circle him and begin to laugh. Their mouths gaped in insane smiles. Their eyes were lit with accusation. They were cold faces-so cold.

In his dream, he was on his knees, clutching his head in both hands as the ghostly faces circled him, laughing, cackling, screaming, and accusing him of his past. Each had been hurt in their own way-some had died-because of him. He was naked and covered in blood. He knew without looking that his eyes were bloodshot and crimson. His fangs were elongated and they ached-oh did they ache… The scent of blood that filled him-as it had when _she_ had destroyed his future-found him again. It sickened him to the pits of his stomach, made his skin want to crawl. Over and over, he apologized to the faces. It didn't matter if they were alive. Because of something he'd done, a choice he'd made, they all might as well have been.

"_You're a vampire-a monster! Who could ever love a monster like you? You're just like them now! You hurt us! You took away something from each of us, Zero. Why didn't you save us? Weren't you trained as a hunter? Why did you hesitate? Why? Why? Why didn't you stop her, vampire?"_

The voices were getting louder, crescendoing louder and louder. They were crashing over him like waves of hatred and spite. The sorrow tore him from the inside and he screamed silently as they faces closed in on him. His glowing red eyes squeezed tightly shut and he gripped his silver hair with bloody hands.

All at once, as if a switch had been flicked, they were gone. It was dark. The silence was deafening, far louder than the voices ever could be. The voices were a distant memory. Suddenly the icy chill around him warmed, sprang up from the inside and caressed every inch of his naked body. There was someone there, someone holding him. He rested his head on that broad shoulder without argument. The safety there basked him in a flood of warm tingling and he remained there, utterly speechless. His heart-once threatening to shatter-was healed for the moment. For this once, he couldn't bring himself to hate what he'd become-not when it felt so good-so right.

He held tightly to that one thread of humanity and felt the rest of the darkness in his mind drift away. Soothing colors replaced it now, and they were familiar and pulsating with heat. They were cool, yet their warmth set his body on fire and melted the tension in his muscles. Swirling pastel blues and greens and purples mixed with faded spring yellow and glorious orange. Even the swirls of red were not angry-not upon close inspection. They wrapped around him gently and he vaguely recalled tasting these colors before. The power in them was a gentle giant now as he felt a cool breeze kiss his cheek.

These things-all of these sensations that caressed and soothed him-were the same sensations that usually set him on fire and put the ache of need in his body in his waking hours. These were all the pieces that, when put together, formed Kaname Kuran's aura. The intensely bold colors had lightened and become warm around him now, and he vaguely understood that Kaname was near-was touching him-soothing him. Every swallow of blood had contained these pieces, these sensations, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't slowly becoming addicted to them…

Slowly, ever so slowly, he slid from his sleeping state and into the warmth and darkness of his reality. He knew right away where he was. The feel of those satin sheets and Kaname pressed flush against him had become a feeling he'd slowly become accustomed to. That familiar scent of spice filled his nose and he basked in it-in the very real touch of his chilled body to Kaname's warm one. The pureblood was sleeping soundly, and they'd somehow become entangled. Strong arms were wrapped around him, holding him in that same gentle way that the vampire's aura had done moments before. Even in the darkness, Zero's lavender gaze was sharp and it was easy to pick out Kaname's handsome features.

Only this once, he thought with unrestrained admiration. Only this once would he allow himself to fall for Kaname. As he drew his long pale fingers across the alabaster plains of the pureblood's sleeping face, Zero took his time committing every small detail to memory-saving it for a rainy day. Kaname, usually cold and in control, appeared so harmless and beautiful in sleep. He watched the vampire's partially parted lips and felt Kaname's chest rise and fall in slow breaths. Those lips were drawing closer and closer. He couldn't help but allow his eyelids to flutter shut as he basked in the feeling of his lips against Kaname's. As he lay, pressing his naked chest to Kaname's he could feel the steady mingling of both their hearts; hear them in the silence of the room. He loved that feeling of wholeness, he decided with finality, losing himself in the spicy scent of the vampire.

Instinctively, his pale hands lifted from the pureblood's naked chest and slid up the exposed neck, grazing Kaname's pale cheeks gingerly before shivering. He lost himself in the tangle of dark wavy hair, feeling the softness of it under his fingertips. It tickled his cheeks now and he had to fight the urge to nuzzle it and let himself go further. For now, at least, hunger wasn't a factor. For now, it didn't fit the equation. He moaned softly as his body brushed up against Kaname's in that intimate way he'd refused to crave for so long. It felt so good-so right all of a sudden. The heat slowly began to build in him and he deepened the kiss, taking his time exploring the pureblood's mouth now. The hands he'd tangled into Kaname's hair tightened a fraction and he could feel the warmth of his cheeks as they flushed.

Bringing down his hands over the vampire's cheeks, down his neck, and back to his chest, Zero blinked and ran his fingertips over the two nubs they found. His fingers stroked lightly at first, and he relished the way the pureblood's nipples hardened and perked under his touch. He pinched lightly now and shuddered, parting from their kiss to breath. Those handsome full lips were swollen from their kiss and he suddenly wanted to taste them again. He leaned down, fingers still teasing Kaname's nipples, to fall into the kiss again. It felt so good-like two puzzle pieces fitting together to form a bigger picture. He let himself remain in the kiss longer now, running his tongue along the ivory teeth he knew so well. The involuntary shudder of his body as his tongue grazed the barely elongated tips of those pureblood fangs was enough to make him lose his mind.

… … …

It was warm. No, that was an understatement. It was blazing hot. As he surface wearily from sleep, something warm, wet, and moving registered. Without thinking, his tongue began to react to the stimulation. His tongue began to react-dancing with the intruder even as the foreign muscle began teasing his fangs into lengthening. His heart, he realized, had begun to race. There was heat above him-a familiar pressure-and it was slowly devouring him. Those were hands at his nipples, he realized with an inward shudder of excitement. Never before had he realized just how sensitive that area was.

Then there was that scent-that familiar aura-that he'd slowly come to know and accept. It was a sweet smell, something soft and addicting, yet with an edge of something stronger, more prominent. Mint, he decided, focusing now on the swirl of lavender, silver, blue, and white that was the aura above him. That was Zero's aura, he decided, feeling his body agreeing whole heartedly.

His eyes opened slowly, pools of rich wine blurring and refocusing now on hazy lavender. A veil of silver bangs fell before them, and his breath hitched at the expression on his hunter's flushed face. Need swirled, flowed, and mingled with hunger in lavender depths. It was the most intense and unbreakable need he'd ever seen. That gaze, he realized with a shudder of excitement, was directed at him and only at him. It took him into its burning depths and the connection sizzled to life. He felt it as their auras mingled, merged, and blended to form something new and unheard of.

He watched as Zero's swollen pink lips parted, revealing long ivory fangs. Those eyes weren't glowing red though. No, they weren't red. Instead, they glowed luminously with their lavender color. This hunger was beyond the need for blood and body. Did Zero realize it? Did his hunter feel the unbearable urge to touch and be touched? His breath caught for a moment and his fingers came up at last to return Zero's delicate caresses.

He cupped the hunter's face and drew it down to him, pressed another hungry kiss to those parted lips, and claimed every inch of that tempting mouth for himself. He sat up easily, taking Zero with him as the boy straddled his hips. He'd tucked Zero in beside him after drying him from the bath. While he wore sleep pants, his hunter had remained completely and perfectly naked. He took that moment to drink in the boy's lean body, the smooth perfection of pale skin and sinewy muscle. There was something so intense about it, so undeniably natural about Zero's heated state, that it triggered the same in Kaname.

His hands slid down as he ravaged that strong mouth, their tongues battling and dancing to the same drummer. Where he touched Zero, he felt the spark and heat of intense desire between them. First it was Zero's shoulders. His hands slid down then to rosy nipples and returned the earlier affection with tender strokes and pinches. He waited until Zero's back bowed towards him, arching up against him, to move on. His nimble fingers trailed down his hunter's sides, his abdomen, and came to rest on his thin hips. Already he could feel Zero's pleasure pressing against his stomach and knew his own had to be rubbing up against the inside of the ex-human's thigh.

Without words, without coherent thoughts, their bodies danced together, both giving, and both taking, in a perfect unison. Both moved, instinct drawing them closer, encouraging them to lick one another's wounds with a deeper understanding-one that went beyond speech and human communication. That heat that coursed through both of them was magnetic.

Kaname nearly whined in protest as Zero began to draw slowly away. He barely held it back, though, and felt his cheeks flush. He didn't think he could bear it if hi hunter left him now. So, hips arching upward, he reached out and cupped Zero's beautiful face in his hands. He didn't have to speak-his expression and the longing in his vermillion gaze was speech enough-and Zero understood it perfectly. He watched a knowing smile cross his hunter's lips and the barely there move of his hunter away from his body changed course.

… … …

Zero was no longer pulling away. Instead, that knowing smile touched his lavender gaze and he leaned back in, lips grazing Kaname's before sliding down with feather light kisses to the vampire's exposed jaw and neck. He pressed light kisses to the expanse of heated flesh, feeling the pulse in it jump as the pureblood swallowed hard. His light and teasing kisses evolved then, and he pressed his lips, tongue, and teeth to Kaname's pale throat, nipping and kissing, licking and sucking until he'd marked the vampire to his liking. As he did so, his hands didn't remain stationary on those broad shoulders. They trailed feather-light caresses down that flat abdomen, sliding along the pale expanse of flesh until they lingered just above Kaname's waistband and the impressive tent created in his sleep pants.

His lips followed the path of his hands then, nipping and licking at the pureblood's collarbone before finding their way to those pert nipples. He smirked, lips parting to press a gentle kiss to the enflamed skin. His tongue came out slowly, grazing the nipple at first. It circled it slowly and he allowed a hand to come up and do the same to its twin. He suckled it once and bit down teasingly, nicking it with an aching fang. It didn't break the flesh, but the sudden flinch of Kaname's body told him just what affect the action had had on the vampire prince's already raging hormones.

He glanced up with suddenly focused lavender eyes even as he teased the sensitive flesh. With flushed cheeks and his breath panting out in small gasps, he watched Kaname's hand come up and rake through that feather-soft fall of dark chocolate hair, pushing it away from suddenly glowing wine colored eyes. They weren't red with hunger-but luminous in their natural vermillion hue. He couldn't help the moan that escaped him now as he lost himself in those swirling, sensual shades.

Wordlessly, and as naturally as if it were instinct, he pressed a final kiss to the abused nipple and began the slow descent of his tingling lips along the toned pale plains of Kaname's abdomen. He grinned as he flicked his tongue out; brushing the vampire's naval just barely. He could hear it as Kaname sucked in a tense breath above him and continued on his way. As his lips came down, however, he felt frustration build up in him. Suddenly he cursed whoever had invented clothing and moved again, nuzzling the erect presence just below the dark fabric. His hands came up slowly, trailing along Kaname's inner thighs until they came together and cupped the pureblood's sack through the pants.

Even as his own arousal twitched and begged for some sort of attention, he felt the pulsating heat as it radiated off of Kaname's shaft. His hands slid up to stroke the base, leaving his tongue to stroke the underside through the fabric. He moved deliberately now, craving more of that feeling that set his body on fire. He kissed the underside and began a slow move upward to the tip. He took it into his mouth, licking the slit and tasting pre through the sleep pants. He moved his tongue then, swirling around the tip and back down the shaft again.

He moved then, taking the waistband between his teeth with a soft growl. He brought the fabric away gingerly and vaguely registered the all too ready pair of hands helping him rid the body of the infuriating fabric. The length that popped out, twitching and newly freed to the chill of the room beyond, had him gasping in slight astonishment. It was…quite a bit larger than he'd anticipated. That didn't slow him down, though. Instead, he repeated the previous motions, letting his tongue acquaint itself with the unique taste of the pureblood. As it slid up the shaft this time, he was able to taste the pre on his tongue and the strength of it was astonishing. He hadn't expected to enjoy the taste or feel so much.

… … …

He was about to lose control. As that curious tongue slid heatedly along his shaft and over his tip, Kaname knew he was about to lose the control he'd so carefully pieced together. Somehow, he thought with a shudder, which was fine with him. He moved slowly, bucking his hips encouragingly up into that all too enticing warmth. He watched, utterly entranced, as that seductive mouth came down around his arousal. That tongue stroked him slowly, licking and sucking even as the pre built up in his slit. His flushed cheeks only darkened.

His hand came up and reached out to Zero, tangling his fingers in that soft silver hair at the back of the hunter's head. He was beautiful, but more than that, he was Kaname's. This thought sent him falling back into that bottomless pool of warmth as he felt Zero take him in, inch by inch, into his mouth.

Kaname's back arched and his breath hitched as a sudden chill grazed his shaft. No longer was that beautiful mouth around the base of his arousal. Lavender eyes bore holes into his soul, burning and glowing in that inhuman beauty that stole his breath away. The taste of himself and of Zero's sweetness was on his lips now as he returned the kiss, tongue once again dancing with Zero's for dominance.

He moaned slowly at that and his hand moved instinctively as it was guided by Zero's. He felt the pads of his pale fingers press against the ring of muscle that had long since tightened up. It twitched and tightened instinctively at his touch and he shuddered, pushing one digit slowly inside. He went slowly, so as to not tear anything or startle the hunter, sinking it deeper and deeper until the walls loosened around the finger and Zero's death grip on his shoulders eased.

Amusement was in his eyes now as he added the second finger, scissoring and stretching the walls now. He could feel Zero's silver hair as it tickled his chin and throat. The boy was hiding his face there and he knew without looking that those lavender eyes would be tightly shut. No matter how intimate, Zero's reaction was always the same-always too cute for words. To think a hunter would be afraid of something as fleeting as the pain of being prepared. Still, he would make up for it.

His fingers moved three now buried deep inside, aiming for that spot he'd committed to memory. The long digits just barely brushed it after seconds of careful searching and the reaction was instantaneous. It pleased him to no end and he repeated the action, feeling that grip on his shoulders tighten. The walls that clamped down around his fingers were sporadic and needy, and guided by Zero's hips as they moved to feel that pleasure again.

He slid his fingers out then and, with the easy grace he'd perfected, guided the tip of his own arousal to throb at the twitching opening. He slid the tip in first, feeling the engorged heat push against the small resistance before being granted passage. It was tight-oh, it was so tight-and he shuddered lightly at the intense heat. Inch by inch he slid inside, moving until he'd buried himself to the hilt in the hunter. That sporadic clamping of Zero's walls was settling now into one steady pulse of need.

He leaned forward and, waiting for Zero to adjust, kissed the prefect hard on the lips, drinking those heated moans with greedy laps of his tongue against Zero's. As they parted for air his tongue slid down, down, down along that slender exposed neck, over the pulse and throb of a heartbeat in Zero's chest, to circle around a pert nipple and bite teasingly. The constricting tightness of his hunter around the base of his arousal was almost-almost-painful. Instead, it was enough of a jolt of pleasure to force him to begin moving, unable to wait for permission from the smaller male.

He found, after a moment, that he didn't need permission. Zero's body moved with his, and he guided those thin hips upward and back down around him, encasing him in tight heat and mind blowing pleasure. They went slowly at first, carefully, before the pace picked up and both were moaning inaudibly into each other's kisses. He felt Zero catching his pace and matching it, tightening around his base as it slid in and out. His pulse jumped and he began thrusting upward even as Zero came down around him. Those long pale legs wrapped around his waist as a matching pair of arms held him around the neck. Their bodies pressed together and he guided Zero's hips with one hand as the other came between them to wrap around his hunter's own pleasure.

It twitched in his grasp and he heard what he thought was a mew of pleasure from Zero's lips. He shuddered, watching those lavender eyes begin to fill with pleasured haze as pale cheeks reddened. Zero had begun bucking up into his hand and back with each thrust, the tingling intensity between them sparking and glowing like a sun-with all the heat and all the intensity. His hunter was moving against him, pressing and mewing and squeezing him desperately. Their hearts leapt together, and both vampires became lost in that intense and instinctive pleasure. The feeling that filled them both was beyond thought, beyond natural reasoning, and Kaname loved it.

… … …

He couldn't handle it. As he moved and bucked and slid along Kaname's body, Zero couldn't handle the urge that welled up in his chest. His fangs pulsed and ached, and he couldn't stop himself as he leaned forward and wrapped his lips around the pulse in Kaname's neck. He sucked and licked hungrily, preparing the spot before sliding in his fangs. He rode the pureblood even as he drank. In his mind's eye, a mark began to form on the pureblood's skin-below it at first. A rose, done intricately in fine elegant lines that stretched out from his aching fangs in a halo, tingled from the twin puncture wounds and along the vampire prince's neck on the left side.

He drank and drank, gulping mouthfuls of the liquid pleasure that spilled from his mark. He satiated his hunger in that way; clinging like a cat in heat to the one man who could provide him with the freedom and the emotion he'd been clawing after for so long. Even as he drank, he felt the tattoo on his own neck bend and morph and move, sinking deeper than skin to brand him in the same way, marking him. He moaned around the wounds and pulled away to stare up into that liquid vermillion gaze. He could drown in those eyes, he really could.

Then something happened that he hadn't been expecting. He shuddered, feeling waves of molten pleasure accompany the prick of fangs at his neck on the left side. That morphing, changing tattoo began to complete itself as Kaname drank from him, tasted his very life. He gave it willingly, tilting his head to allow the vampire room to take and take. This was what he wanted-what he craved. He wanted to bind himself in that moment to the pureblood. Things had come full circle the moment Kaname's lips left his neck. The tingle of his mark lingered there and he moaned low in his throat.

Their lips came together, bodies still moving, still searching for that release. Their marks burned through their entwined bodies as white hot pleasure flooded both of them. In one last long moan, they took a running leap off that last blissful edge and fell, still holding desperately to one another. They saw white, then stars, then spots, and finally nothing. The deed had been done and neither regretted it as they lay tangled in each other's arms. As they rode the afterglow, Zero shuddered and lay back against Kaname's chest, nose pressed softly against the mark that had yet to materialize visibly. Both slept then, dreamless save a picture of the other's face and a recollection of that day's pleasure.

… … …

Kaname was pleased, to say the least. As he thought back on the 'night' spent with his hunter, every detail came back in sharp focus. It was almost enough to keep him from questioning the prefect's sudden change in behavior. As he glanced down at the angelic expression the boy wore, he had a feeling Zero would cease to be so agreeable upon waking. Upon studying his hunter, he felt his hand reach instinctively upward to cup his neck. Zero had fed willingly from him…but there was something else-something more-that he just couldn't remember or put his finger on. It lingered at the edge of his memories and he brushed it off.

A glance down told him he'd fed from Zero as well. The bite marks were there…but the tattoo was gone. It was gone as in it had probably never really been there in the first place. That was…strange, and just the slightest bit unsettling. As if to prove he wasn't dreaming, his hand came down from the strangely warm bite on his neck to graze where the tattoo on Zero's neck had always been. The skin there was hot and sparked with invisible electricity up his arm. It tingled at the bite in his neck and realization slowly dawned on him.

The night before had been a full moon, and Zero, in his hungry, broken state, hadn't fought the usual urges. He had been a creature of instinct and passion, of need and desire-primal in the way only a vampire could be. His wounded mind had thrown away common sense for a short while to protect itself, and in the heat of the moment they had marked one another. A blood pact had been made and sealed, and the results had yet to materialize physically.

He supposed he should have been angry, should have been full of spite at the thought of a Level-D vampire marking _him_, binding _him_, and not the other way around. He wasn't, though. For a reason which he could not understand or grasp, he wasn't angry. He was quite the opposite, actually. He was pleased beyond explanation. His kitten had-against the will of his common sense-relied on instinct and primal desire. The knowledge that-somewhere in Zero's heart-there was a place that longed for the pureblood in such a complete way thrilled him. Most likely, Zero wouldn't realize the subtle changes, or the change in his body's instincts, until it was too late. No, he wasn't about to pop that bubble for Zero, not yet at least.

He smirked with triumph as his body relaxed back into bed, curling around Zero slowly. The hunter wouldn't recall marking Kaname, wouldn't recall ever biting him. Already the marks were fading from both of their necks. It would take at least three days to allow the mark to form, and their bodies would both be…more honest, to put it simply. Every touch and close encounter would send that primal need through them, and the craving to be close at all times would be almost impossible to deny. That was what Kaname was counting on, though. His evenings were about to become far more…interesting. As he drifted back to sleep for the remaining hour before he had to be up, Kaname had a cruel thought. He was excited to watch his kitten struggle with this new and unseen spill of emotion and instinct. He was excited to know that he was the only one capable of quelling those urges and desires.

Perhaps now his stubborn hunter would HAVE to bend to his whims.


	7. Chapter 7

He supposed it should have been relatively easy to change his sleep schedule to accommodate his new life. After all, wasn't it something natural for vampires? He already slept through his daytime classes, didn't he? That being said, it didn't make it any less of a pain in his ass to wake up at eight in the evening and watch the sun begin to settle down beyond the horizon, casting the earth in golden warmth. He yawned into the palm of his hand and his lavender eyes squinted. They were still blurred with sleep, and slowly, very slowly, his body stretched and worked out the kinks of the night before. He sat up slowly after a long, considering moment, and rolled his shoulders. It took a moment for the full force of the sharp ache to take effect, flattening him back against the smooth bed sheets in seconds. His eyes snapped wide open in annoyance, and the pain coursed through his hips and lower back again in a white flash. What had he gone and done? Why didn't he remember doing it?

Vaguely, and already slipping like the wind from his mind, the previous day's nightmare left him with an empty hole in his memory and pain in his ass. Had he-had _they_-done anything? He sighed, sitting up a bit more slowly before tossing back the covers. Why the hell did his neck feel so sore? He blinked and groaned at what the lack of covers revealed. He should have known that ass would put him to bed naked. Still, he had to be sure… Leaving Kaname to sleep soundly for a few more minutes, Zero eased himself up off the bed and onto his own bare feet.

He'd not taken the smallest step away from the bed before the ache in his chest blossomed. It was familiar, somehow, yet utterly foreign. He'd not felt such an intense longing to be horizontal and asleep in years-or to feel the simple warmth of skin to skin contact on that level. His body screamed at him to get back under the covers and curl up around Kaname's warm body with his head on the pureblood's broad shoulder, to bask in that heat, but he refused that almost instinctive longing in favor of shuffling into the adjoining bathroom to stand in the chilly morning air and stare wearily into the mirror.

He'd never been all that judgmental when it came to his own looks, but _damn_ did he look like hell. He was paler than usual, and the dark circles under his eyes were new. His silver bangs had, against his wishes, decided that he looked amazing with frizzy bed head. His eyes were a paler lilac, somehow, and the dull ache of his non-elongated fangs against his gums was ever prominent. This wasn't about to be his day-but when was it ever, he thought in resignation. His hand came up to rub at the left side of his neck, where he supposed he must have slept on it wrong, as he rolled his shoulders and stared into the mirror. It only got worse the longer he stared. He couldn't go out looking like this in front of Kaname. Even in sleep, the bastard pureblood looked angelic.

As some semblance of clear thinking graced his frazzled mind, Zero hissed in irritation. His eyes narrowed dangerously into the mirror and he wanted, suddenly, to reach through and strangle himself. "Idiot, why are you thinking like that about _him_?" He paused then in his bitter muttering and his eyes widened. Those thoughts were somewhat normal, since it was true…but that didn't account for his sudden need to look _good_ for the vampire. Hell, he couldn't force himself to want to be halfway presentable to the annoying vampire prince on a regular day.

He rolled his shoulders slowly then and, aggravated when the ache at the left of his neck wouldn't ease, turned on his heel towards the shower. He reached for the frosted glass, sliding the door open as he stepped into the stall. Suddenly, the prospect of those big fluffy red, white, and black towels in the cabinet sounded very appealing. Hot water, steam, and something soft and warm would make him all better, he decided, not bothering to dwell on the sudden urge for something soft and warm. He knew by now that questioning these anomalies for too long would get him nowhere. The ache would die down eventually, and perhaps he simply wanted something soft and warm after waking up to a literal pain in his very sore ass. Still, that explained only part of his odd behavior. He'd never felt such a strong urge to just climb back in bed before-much less to wrap himself like a snake around Kaname's lean body.

He had to slap his cheeks hard several times before this thought left him. Still, the mental image lingered always at the back of his mind, always stroking at his curiosity like a lover-attempting to seduce him into giving in to his strange cravings. He leaned down then to the faucet and twisted his wrist until near-scalding water hissed to life in the bathroom. The area filled quickly with the billowing white swirls of steam and he shuddered as it caressed his suddenly very tender body. Still, his mind went blank in that moment, focusing expressly on the steam as the hot water reddened his pale skin and burnt off the lingering sensations that ghosted through his memories.

No, he thought after a moment, feeling the spike in his pulse pick up. The strange feeling hadn't gone away. Maybe he'd come down with a vampire head cold of some sort. That was the only way he could explain the sudden urge to feel Kaname pressed up against him like that. Maybe he'd had a go with the pureblood the night before, and his memory loss and strange feelings meant he was getting sick, or was over worked. Both could work, he decided, dragging his hands through his hair to massage in the shampoo. He would have to make that excuse the moment Kaname woke up. He'd played sick before, after all. At least he wouldn't have to deal with those infuriating nobles…

Still, he was determined to put Yuki's mind at ease. She would be worried if he suddenly didn't show up. She was kind like that, he knew, cursing himself silently when his mind slowly slid into the deep warm pool of memory. The shampoo smelled like Kaname, and that wasn't a thought he wanted to have while worrying about his adoptive sister and fellow prefect. Kaname could wait his turn.

As his mind shifted back to Yuki, an involuntary sigh slid from his throat and got lost in the hiss of the shower. Yes, he thought bitterly, he would go for her sake and, hopefully, be able to use his new position to glare at the Day Class girls collectively and force them to take a step back. That would make Yuki's job a bit easier, he thought with a thread of pride. There, he was already solving the world's problems! Ah, the power of a long hot shower worked miracles.

His fingers moved nimbly, working a bar of soap that-to his horror-_also_ smelled like Kaname into a red washcloth. His chin tilted up and he began to wash thoroughly. Wow, that really did feel good. The soreness in his neck was fading now, and it felt like angels were kissing it and making it all better. He shuddered at the sudden sensitivity of his body to the touch of the rag and rested his forehead against the cool white tile of the shower stall. It was suddenly much hotter, and it made him gasp lightly.

In his state of total pleasure, his eyes fluttered closed and his cheeks heated until it felt like flames were devouring him in pleasure. Something hot was inside him now, and the rag was moving again…but he wasn't moving it? It took a moment for him to begin to get a hold of what his body was doing, though he still could not bring himself to interfere. His hips were moving, were rocking slowly, and his lips parted in a silent gasp. Why was his pulse thundering like that? Was this how vampire's remembered things? Did they relive their memories?

Nonsense, he thought, though his body didn't stop. He'd been a Level-D vampire for years, and all of his memories-thankfully-refused to be more than horrible flashbacks-like watching a movie. No memory could make him relive this passion so intimately. Had this been what it had felt like the day before, where the gap in his memory began? He could only wonder as his back arched and his hand came back…only to find a familiar presence already there.

"Oh my, aren't we eager tonight." That smug tone turned his heated body to ice immediately and he growled audibly. He shifted and turned his head to glare at the familiar dark eyes and damp bangs under the shower spray, for a moment not saying anything.

Those hadn't been angels kissing his sore neck. No, it had been a demon-a vampire-that'd soothed him so completely. That same vampire had managed to sneak into the shower stall undetected and come up behind him. That washrag he'd ceased to feel in his hand had been stolen away from him. Kaname's nimble fingers moved along Zero's body even as he put the pieces together in his mind. Then that had to mean he wasn't dreaming about the presence deep inside him, burning him from the inside out. He reached back slowly this time and his fingers trailed down the lean muscle of Kaname's arm and to his other hand. Two long fingers pressed into him and were slowly moving to clean him out. The sensation was suddenly too much and he bit his lip hard, trying to suppress it.

… … …

Kaname's smirk was devilish as he slid his fingers deeper into that tight heat. Already his hunter had begun to heal himself, which meant he was perfectly tight by the time he found him under the hot-almost _too_ hot-spray of water. "Mm, you should have stayed in bed with me, Zero. You would have been able to sleep longer," he purred, leaning forward as he slid his fingers away. "There, you're nice and clean, inside and out."

He didn't feel at all bad, he decided as he took a step back, setting the rag aside as he reached to turn off the almost painful spray of scalding water. How could Zero enjoy that? From the corner of his eye, his vermillion gaze caught the disappointment flicker in those lavender yes. He almost felt bad about turning the boy on just then, but almost wasn't good enough. "Well?" he purred, arching a fine brow as he leaned in with the towel. "How did you sleep last night, hmm?" He moved before his hunter had time to react or resist, wrapping the towel around that lean form securely. "Are you feeling well? You look a bit flustered." His voice was a low purr beside Zero's ear now as he leaned down and pressed his lips to the boy's neck, right over the mark that had continued to remain invisible to the hunter. As Kaname's lips found it, however, the design coursed with pulsating color and feeling through his mind.

He pulled away slowly, his own body reluctant. Perhaps, he decided with a bit of a sour mood, he'd marked the boy too soon. The urge to be near Zero had been strong enough to pull him out of sleep the moment the level-D left his side. A part of him resented the knowledge that the ex-human now held that much control over him, which the boy didn't acknowledge or realize. That intense need for Zero's touch was embarrassing to a pureblood that'd spent his entire life in self-inflicted isolation. He'd sat there on the edge of the bed, allowing Zero his shower and time to think, as his own mood continued to darken. He'd tried to force himself not to go to Zero, not to press flush against him. In the end, however, he'd done just that and more, and he found he quite enjoyed the result.

He would worry about the repercussions of tying himself to a level-D later, but for now he had other-more pressing-matters to attend to. How the hell was he going to convince the stubborn vampire hunter to voluntarily dawn the Night Class's white blazer? He doubted any amount of control over any living entity could combat Zero's stubborn force of willpower. It was, after all, a trait he both admired and loathed in the boy.

"I can dry myself off, Kuran…" He wasn't about to admit how sharp that sting of shock and hurt had been to his heart. So Zero was back to his angry last name basis? He smirked, leaning in to ruffle Zero's soft white hair with the towel now. He listened, only half hearing the hunter as he went on. "What did you do to me last night? Why can't I remember any of it? Just how rough were you last night while I was asleep?" With every notch of volume gained, Kaname's mixed emotions grew. On one hand, he wanted to grin and play along. He wanted to scare Zero into thinking the worst. He wanted to know the boy would fret about it for a while. On the other, however, it hurt him somewhere deep in the pit of his heart to find that his mate recalled nothing of their intimate joining-especially because it had been Zero who'd provoked it, who'd bitten and marked him first.

Still, he remained smiling and sly as he guided the smaller male out of the shower stall and towards the counter on which he'd settled the neatly folded Night Class uniform. "Enough nonsense, Zero, or we'll be late for crossover. Yuki would worry to no end if she thought something happened to you, after all." There it was again, he thought bitterly. There was that jealousy of his only sister. Zero would go and suffer through the ache their love making had put in his body, if it meant settling Yuki's worries.

Somewhere deep inside that darker than usual corner of his heart, he wished for the realization to come quickly. Obviously their night's activities had been kept from Zero's sane and logical mind. No doubt, he thought with some consolation, it would come back in three days-come crashing down around the hunter as soon as Zero realized what was going on and what was on his neck. Outwardly at least, the hunter had retained his usual tattoo. It had yet to change as it had the day before.

Kaname didn't hear him for a moment. Too lost was he in his thoughts to realize Zero was tugging on his wrist and standing oh so close to him. Those lavender eyes blinked and stared up at him-into him-easily. The boy's soft and newly washed hair seemed to radiate a beautiful sort of light now, as did the soft skin of his cheeks. There was color there now, rosy color to match the sweet and nearly intoxicating scent of his blood. Kaname moved on instinct at the sight and stepped closer, sensing a tingle of worry through the barely there silver thread that served as the beginning of their connection. "Zero, what's wrong?"

… … …

Wow…and double wow. Those eyes had never been so intense before, so deep and searching. The gaze set something on fire inside him, something he fought desperately to keep down as he blinked and leaned in. When had those soft lips begun to look so tasty? Everything was so vivid. With the skin of his palm grazing Kaname's bear arm, things were suddenly so vivid in every sense. Sights and colors swam and drifted before his eyes, and the ache of his canines coupled with the throb of his heart against his ribcage to send dull pain echoing through him.

Kaname smelled so good. He was all at once the crispness of fall and the heat of summer. He was the freshness of spring and the cheery joy of a winter evening. That spicy scent was alluring, to say the least, and invaded his nose like a wave of warm sweet pleasure. The pads of his fingertips tingled and sizzled like hot coals against Kaname's arm. It wasn't painful, wasn't frightening…it wasn't at all intimidating in the seconds' worth of time that flitted past them. Instead, it was pure and undeniable pleasure and it echoed like the whisper of a lover through his very being. That once sore ache of his neck was filled now with that hum of pleasure, and his knees almost gave way. Suddenly there was no one else in the world but Kaname Kuran.

Those eyes were staring intently-curiously-at him, and for the moment he felt the ability to speak leave him stuttering. He was flushing brightly, and he'd begun to dress in the Night Class uniform without realizing. It was as if his body, after being overloaded with the sensation that was Kaname, had done the only natural and mechanical thing it could, so as to not take away any attention from the vampire prince before him.

He'd gotten…mostly dressed, but ties had always been a problem for him. He would usually ask Yuki to help him, no matter how reluctant he was to call on her for that simple act. That was why he didn't bother with them most of the time. He usually kept a tie already tied by his bed. A new uniform meant asking the nearest person-in this case Kaname-for help. He pursed his lips tightly before gathering the courage to ask. All at once that magical sensation was gone and the bastard pureblood stood towering over him and smirking so smugly. "Can you," he began with a calm breath. "Help me with my tie?' There, he'd done it… He realized only too late that he'd put the shirt on and gotten all the buttons into the wrong holes…sometimes none at all.

He watched the amusement in Kaname's dark eyes light with a strangely fond glow and that familiar tingle of raw sensation came flooding back into him-lower this time than just his stomach. Those fingers worked nimbly to unbutton everything, a strange contrast from the many times those same hands had yanked and torn away clothes, much as Zero had done in return. The mundane act was strangely…soothing, normal even. His eyes slowly closed and he allowed Kaname to fix the shirt and straighten everything. He didn't open his eyes again until he felt the heat of Kaname's lips and heard the low amused chuckle resonate between them.

He blinked and glanced down at the vampire's hand, the one still holding the newly secured red silk tie in its grasp. The other hand was straightening the lapels of his white blazer, and for a moment he forgot to be angry that Kaname had forced him into wearing such a blood curdling outfit. Did the vampire not realize just how much he loathed every vampire that was not Kaname? He knew his body enjoyed the man's company too much for his mind to completely loath him, but that didn't extend to Kaname's minions.

Kaname must have realized the shift in emotion as well because those lips curled into a sly grin and came closer, brushing over his in a slow kiss. His eyes squeezed shut at that and he felt himself melt instantly into that touch. He leaned now against the man's chest and gripped his bare arms tightly. Just why the hell was he having so much trouble staying truly angry today? Hadn't Kaname taken him in his sleeping, defenseless state? Hadn't he woken up with sore muscles and bed head? Wasn't this day supposed to be terrible? Now, with cooperating hair and a body that felt light as a feather, he kissed back and considered the possibility that he'd judged his day too harshly before it had ever started… Well, his night, but that was a fact he dismissed offhand for now, knowing it would anger him if he dwelt on it.

He nearly whined as he felt Kaname's heated body pull away from his grasp. Biting his lip, he wanted so desperately to reach out and hold the vampire king in his arms and feel that sensation of losing himself again… That was ridiculous, he thought bitterly as he watched Kaname dress smoothly. The shirt, vest, and blazer were disappointing, though the style and quality still complimented the pureblood nicely. It put layers between him and that bare chest he loved to feel against his cheek, and natural reaction told him that was a bad thing.

He couldn't take it, he realized after a seemingly endless minute of watching Kaname dress had ticked by. He turned briskly on his heel and kicked himself into his school shoes. He snatched up the text books that had been left the night before with his clothes. A glance down at the photo album brought the memories back. There in the afterglow of being around Kaname, however, the memories couldn't graze him. He kicked it away with his foot and leaned on the door. He'd wait there and cool his head while Kaname got ready for school.

He had, by that time, shrugged off whatever drugged state he'd been under around the vampire king. A glance at the clock on the wall had him sighing. "At this rate you'll make us late to crossover, idiot." He called it into the bathroom and smirked inwardly, enjoying the knowledge that, for once, he was punctual and prepared.

In response, he heard Kaname mutter something under his breath and rolled his eye in return. Now that he had breathing room, he wasn't about to let the flood of emotions back in. His narrowed, always suspicious, lavender eyes darkened and took on a hard edge, as did his posture. He was no longer a vampire prince's plaything. He was Zero Kiryuu, the last of his family, not including his twin. He hated-no-despised vampires for the bloodsucking scum they were, and he'd shoot them if they even looked at him the wrong way. He could at least thank Kaname for leaving his anti-vampire weapon within reach.

He watched now as the door swung open and revealed the vampire of his musings, long wavy auburn hair curling elegantly around a strong pale neck and a handsome, inhuman, face. Those wine colored eyes were hard and set again in cold distance, and that polite, smug, unfeeling smile graced those full beautiful lips. Where Zero still managed to look haphazard and wild, Kaname cleaned up nicely in his pristine white suit and red tie.

As he stood admiring the vampire prince, realization hit him hard. He would have to face the Night Class again, and this time he would be in the privacy of his…no-their-dorm. There would be no human eyes to witness whatever cruel scrutiny they put him through…though no human eyes would see him pull the trigger if he had to…or wanted to, really. He relaxed at this thought and held his books in one hand. The other was left open-his shooting hand-ready at all times to reach for his gun.

As the door swung open and they stepped out into the hallway, however, he paled and felt the rush of power sweep through him as Kaname took his gun hand in a firm grip. They descended into the awaiting presence of vampire nobles now and his body went rigid, able to move only with the touch of Kaname Kuran's unfaltering grasp.

He glared at each and every vampire as they moved to the lobby's main entrance, daring them to bring up the current state of his hand…and the color that he barely restrained from flooding his cheeks completely. His grip on Kaname's hand instinctively tightened in suspicion as he watched them all stare at him with wide astonished eyes and take a step forward, closing off their ranks to keep him from reaching the door. What the hell did they want with him now?

**Ooh, I think I'll leave you guys in suspense for now! Can you guess what the Night Class's reaction will be to this new development? I'll give you a clue! How obvious do you think it is for a vampire noble to pick up the scent of blood and sex when it involves their precious Kaname-Sama and a Level-D vampire hunter?**

**Leave your guess as to what you think will happen or should happen in the review please/thank you~! Who knows, your idea may end up in the story if it's angsty enough! Don't worry; I'll credit you if I use it! Bye-bye for now my lovelies!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Alright guys, I'm able to post today due to the lack of my usual activities on a Tuesday afternoon. So, I'm super excited about the possibilities for Zero and Kaname, and how the Night Class will react. Ben4Kevin actually had a very in depth and interesting idea that I'm pondering, but I'm still taking ideas, no matter how small. For now though, I decided I would leave you all in suspense and interrupt your usual programming with a breaking news bulletin!**

…**Really, it's just Yuki's view on things. I figured I'd squeeze it in and unveil exactly why she isn't tearing Zero's throat out after figuring out their relationship. I'll also include HOW it happened! And to answer another question, Zero won't ALWAYS be like that. After the first few times, he'll suppress the reactions and go back to being angry.**

**Oh! Also, before I forget! I'm trying to plan out a Halloween fiction for all of you, and it'll include our favorite Level-D and Pureblood couple! Now on with the story!**

It had been a few months. As Cross Yuki sat slouched over her text book, head resting in the cupped palm of her hand, she heaved a silent sigh of boredom and felt her eyes drift upward. Zero wasn't there-but that fact had yet to startle her recently. She would chastise him about it later, and probably smack him on the back for good measure. He better not miss crossover, she thought wearily, stifling a yawn with her sleeve as her large dark eyes refocused on Yagari-Sensei. He would most likely know where Zero had snuck off to, so she'd ask him later. For now, she desperately needed to stay awake.

Yori, turning curiously to blink and study her best friend's emotion laden dark eyes, shook her head and set down her text book. "Yuki," she whispered, leaning down to be at level with the prefect's head as it rested on Yuki's textbook. "Is Zero feeling well? He's been cutting more class than usual, don't you think?" Her deep and knowing eyes blinked and focused almost pityingly on the girl. She worried far too much about Zero.

In response, Yuki only groaned. She knew she should have worried, knew she should have been nagging Zero more than usual, but something in the hurried way the hunter brushed her off recently told her he had his own problems to deal with, and that not all of that time was spent sleeping…she hoped. She knew that, with the addition of Zero's twin, Ichiru, he'd become on edge. Still, that didn't seem to faze him usually. "He's his same grouchy self. Don't worry about him. I'll yell at him later anyways. Dealing with the Day Class crowd is going to be interesting if that idiot skips again…"

The clearing of a throat had both girls glancing back up at Yagari who, by then, had come out of his slouching position behind his desk to stand in front of the class, a small textbook in the crook of his fingers. "You there," His tone was its usual low rumble, and his good eye remained unflinching as he spoke. "Pay attention in my class!"

The rest of the day carried on in that fashion-Yuki was zoning out, deep in thought, and Yori was trying to nudge her back into reality with the rounded tip of her fingernail to the prefect's forearm. They got far more warning glares from Yagari-Sensei before the bell sounded to signal the end of school. This gave Yuki cause to stand and stretch, yawning more enthusiastically now that Yagari had retreated back behind his desk to read. She didn't doubt he was fully aware of every detail of the room, but school was over and she wasn't about to be yelled at by a teacher after school.

With her mind off of school work and back on her personal problems, she heaved a silent sigh and closed her eyes. Her heart was racing now in her chest, it was overwhelming her senses and her cheeks were hot. Crossover was soon, and she would be, at last, able to see her precious Kaname again. Her fingertips grazed her pale cheek now and she smiled. It was warm to the touch as she imagined the spicy scent that always lingered around the pureblood. He was so perfect, so right… She sometimes wondered what Zero could possibly see wrong in something so perfect.

Zero… As her mind drifted back to him, forcing itself away from Kaname, though not far, she felt her heart give a quick ache. Well, there was just one reliable place to ask. She knew already that Cross would make excuses or try to talk around it. Yagari, at least, was blunt enough to deny it with a cold expression, and that put her nerves to rest a fraction. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she gritted her teeth. She could just find Zero and force a response…

Still… She sighed wearily and turned on her heel, waving a goodbye to Yori, who was going into town to shop. Yuki, however, had let her common sense and worry prevail over her urge to leave. She trudged towards Yagari's desk slowly and noted the hunter's wavy black bangs didn't shift to reveal her teacher's good eye until she stood before his desk, hands connected in front of her. She bowed respectfully, as she did to all of her teachers, before beginning. She didn't wait for his uninterested small talk and pushed forward.

"What's wrong with him?" A beat of silence-just a beat-passed and Yagari glanced up at her blandly. Both knew who she was talking about, but she'd come to realize that hunters, besides their hatred for vampires, loved to make things complicated and confusing. Sometimes, like with Yagari, they blatantly refused to answer questions. That brought a twitch to her eye, but she refrained from raising her voice. She simply stood there, arms crossed now over her black school blazer, as she waited for his response.

Yagari, eye closing slowly, crossed his arms in return and tapped the heel of one booted foot on the other over the edge of the desk. He wore his usual messily buttoned white shirt and dark slacks, though he'd chosen to wear his worn out duster today instead of his jacket. At least he'd left the cowboy hat and his rifle somewhere else… As his eye opened slowly, he wanted to groan. She was still standing there, still bothering to ask him these idiotic questions which he could give no answer…not one she would understand.

How the hell could he translate that answer into something simple? _Well, here's the thing – Zero has been in a physical relationship with the bloodsucking leech pureblood Kaname Kuran for a little over three months, on and off, and his blood lust is getting worse._

Somehow he doubted that would be a suitable answer, so he lied. He was pretty good at it, at least. "I don't know. Go find him and ask him yourself if you want. I can only do so much for him now…" That part, at least, he spoke with the strain of a weighty emotional truth. He'd been able to do only so much for Zero after meeting the boy again. His student had changed, had…morphed-into something not human, and not entirely vampire. He wouldn't deny that that had hurt him somewhere deep inside, but he brushed it off for now. He had no room to feel guilty or sorry for the damn idiot. He trusted the Cross to raise the boy right.

Yuki had begun to bite her lip in silent thought, a habit she'd yet to break as she considered the obvious lie. Still, she knew she wouldn't get anything but a lie and the confusing emotion that darkened Yagari-Sensei's expression. She didn't feel like dwelling on what it could mean and turned briskly, thanking him halfheartedly as she walked away.

Because she had time before crossover, Yuki sighed and shook her head slowly, feeling the breeze comb through her dark hair gently-almost teasingly. She had time to search for Zero and make sure he wouldn't skip it…again. He'd begun making a regular habit out of leaving her stranded to hold back a tsunami of rabid Day Class girls. It was at times like those that she valued his sour glare. It made her job much easier, she decided as she pictured the silver haired hunter and his usually foul mood. She would check the stables first, she decided, knowing how likely it was that the idiot had fallen asleep there beside that demon she-horse.

She strode silently through campus with this goal in mind, dark eyes large and focused intently ahead of her. She supposed that was what kept her from noticing the shadow moving to her left. She nearly ran into the figure before at last righting herself and shaking off the shock. As she studied that familiar face, however, there was something alien about it. That wasn't Zero's face at all…

For one thing, Zero never wore his hair up or tied it with a gold bell. Zero never smiled so politely. Most of all, though her partner could be rude and crass, he'd never had that glassy calm the Night Class had perfected. It took a moment, but realization clicked and her pulse jumped in her chest. She remembered that face… "I-Ichiru, I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." She moved to bow but something cold and distant in his eyes, the only true reflection of Zero stopped her. Still, she watched him smile.

"You're fine, you're fine. I'm sorry, Cross-San, I wasn't paying much attention. Are you looking for Zero?" He was smiling bashfully, but it didn't reach his eyes as his hand raised to rub the back of his head. There was something cold-something cruel in those eyes-and she recognized it now. It was the look Shizuka had used so often in her brief encounter with the late pureblood. That was where he'd picked it up, why it set him apart from Zero. "I thought I saw him walking into the trails behind the school. I wonder what's wrong with him…"

The silence between them spoke volumes, and Yuki didn't bother to hide her own scowl. He'd been about to hurt Zero-hurt her brother-that night. She didn't trust him, but she was already so close. Besides, she could handle herself if it was a trap. After all, she'd had nothing to do with Shizuka's death, and using her as bait for Zero would only make her fellow prefect angry. She supposed it startled both of them when she turned on her heel and walked off. More surprising, however, was the crunch of shoes behind her on the hard packed dirt path. She glanced back and her eyes widened.

Those violet eyes, though bitter, held a small bit of something-something too small to detect usually. Was that worry in Ichiru's gaze? She had to wonder about that, but it at least reassured her that he wouldn't try to hurt her while she searched. Hell, he'd trained like Zero had under Yagari and was just as lethal after defending a pureblood like Shizuka Hio. She had to bury the sting of doubt that welled up as she continued to walk.

It took minutes-if that-and the air had already begun to chill. The two walked in that awkward silence of the barely acquainted and the slightly loathing for what seemed like an eternity before Yuki spoke. Ichiru had long since dropped the weak attempt at civility, so she did the same. "Why are you here?" she stated, worry for Zero hardening her nerves. "After Shizuka died, why didn't you leave? Zero has enough problems…" Her voice hitched at that and she forced herself to continue, much to the bitter resentment she felt in Ichiru. "Is it really revenge you want from him? You two are brothers-twins-and you're supposed to fight…but you aren't supposed to hate each other."

Ichiru couldn't help himself. He resented her more in that moment than when he'd seen Shizuka beside her. That dark pit in his stomach stretched wider and he suddenly wanted to turn and walk away. He stayed-though he didn't understand why-and his narrowed lavender eyes registered Yuki's honest concern. While it was true he hated Zero for Shizuka's death, hated him for being her first choice, hated the knowledge that their parents favored the stronger twin, he couldn't help but long for his brother and the way they'd been in the past, so close…so very close. His heart ached and he knew, somewhere without words, that the truth was in his eyes. He still cared about Zero-still wanted to be near him. If hatred was his only excuse, he'd take it.

They'd both begun to walk then, and Ichiru went without speaking. With every step, the scent of vampire tingled heavier in his nose. Vampires, blood, sex, and his twin… His pace quickened and he bypassed Yuki, who'd obviously not smelled it. What was this? He had to know! Moments later, however, he wished he hadn't found out. He paled, and his body froze in the mouth of the clearing, still veiled from sight in the shadows. His blood ran cold, and that hatred for his twin was utterly complete. It roiled up inside him in a bitter wave of jealousy and crashed over him with icy lashes.

Zero had, yet again, become the object of a pureblood's desire, leaving him in the shadows again. His body might have grown stronger, but his mind had come to revert back to those closer days, those simpler days at Zero's side. The knowledge that it had been Zero's eyes that had seen him-truly seen him-only grew his rage. All that time, his brother had seen everything about him, had become the favored twin without trying. To Ichiru, that had hurt, had scarred him deeper than losing his parents. It wasn't because he hated Zero-no, he loved his twin, in that bitter sort of way. He hated the pureblood that now held Zero's full attention. Those eyes that saw only him now held another.

Yuki blinked, confusion spilling into her as she stared at Ichiru's frozen and rigid shoulders. She couldn't see past him and craned her neck on her tiptoes. Was he alright? "Ichiru, what-"

"I'm leaving…" he muttered and his dark eyes narrowed dangerously as he turned on his heel to stalk away. "This is your problem now…" No longer was he that kind and gentle student Yuki had glimpsed in class. He was harsh and storm-like, the sort of violence Zero portrayed yet never held.

She stood there hearing him storm off and, for a moment, her mind didn't register the sight he revealed to her upon his moving. Her heart had stopped in her chest, and she paled. Her knees shook, her hands shook...and her heart ached in that mournful, betrayed way that made her relate to Ichiru at last. As her senses finally resurfaced, she understood the anger in Ichiru's voice. It welled up inside her, from the pit of her stomach, and overtook her, causing her entire body to shake. Her eyes were blurring now with cruel tears and she knew-knew deep in that well of instinct she relied so heavily on-that things had changed, been put into motion.

There before her, Zero's half naked body arched elegantly off the trunk of the tree, the sunset glowing off of his smooth pale shoulder blades and silver hair. His violet eyes were bright, alive with the sort of intensity Yuki had never before witnessed. That utter pleasure radiated from the hunter's enraptured expression as his legs wrapped smoothly around Kaname Kuran's slender hips.

The pureblood prince was tall and pale, dark eyes drinking in Zero's every detail. Just then, those eyes sparkled and lit with fire. Kaname's fangs were elongated, and it was a sight Yuki had never seen-an expression she'd never known her sweet Kaname to possess. This beast, this slave to pleasure, growled low in his throat and devoured her adopted brother completely. Still, it was all just a sick joke-a nightmare. Those two hated one another-loathed one another so completely-that they tried to kill each other at every corner.

A moment more and she couldn't watch. Tearing her tear filled eyes from the betraying sight, she sniffled and swiped angrily at the tears with her coat sleeve and turned. Kaname had smiled to her face. Zero had acted like nothing was wrong, had not told her anything. The betrayal went past jealousy now. It sank deeper than envy over the prince charming she'd held so highly. He was a vampire, and a bit of lying and using was expected-was normal.

…But for Zero to not tell her, for her fellow prefect to skip school and work for Kaname…it ate at her. Jealousy was the second thing-the aftertaste-and it was just as bitter. She couldn't stay there, she just couldn't. She left the clearing behind her and nothing else registered but that bitter jealousy the entire run back to the dorm. She bypassed her nightly report to Cross and ran up, up, and up more flights of stairs, tripping and falling on her face a few times as she did so. She would call in sick…she couldn't do crossover today. Yagari could, if he had to, so she sighed and buried her face in the pillow as soon as the door flung open to her room.

Back in the clearing, Zero blinked and, swimming back up from the reluctant pool of pleasure Kaname had drown him in, watched the familiar retreating back through the shadows of sunset. He reached out and his eyes widened, as if he could draw her back and tell her it was all a lie-tell her that her beloved Kaname still loved her. He wanted to prove that what they shared was nothing but physical, nothing but mutual need and frustration, and either for blood or skin to skin pleasure. Perhaps it was both, but he didn't know. Why wouldn't sound escape his lips? Even as his body ran cold, why couldn't he draw himself away from Kaname's strong embrace?

Before he could gather his strength and retry his words, familiar lips swallowed up his plea and forced him back under that figurative water to drown in pleasure. He lost himself to that beast, lost he to that dark entity he called instinct. It burned up inside him whatever rational thought he'd managed to retain. Even as his heart broke, he closed his eyes and fell into that forceful pleasure, that domination. Was this why he couldn't truly reach out to Yuki and plead her forgiveness? Did he feel that good-that alive-that he couldn't feel bad about this betrayal?


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok guys, sorry I didn't post last night. Presidential debate kind of required my full attention for school, and I was busy with other homework prior to viewing it. What you'll notice is that I'm not a very political person, and I'll probably put 'Mickey Mouse' on a ballot and walk away.**

**Besides this, I just realized-five minutes after posting the last chapter, which I left out the last part of it. It includes the part where Yuki comes to accept Zero and Kaname's relationship. Never fear, though, because I can make it work either in this chapter or the next. Thank you all for your suggestions on the Night Class's reaction, and I've decided I will use Ben4Kevin's idea, though I don't think I'll go as far as to put him into the hospital. Perhaps the infirmary for a night or so, though. Thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy. This chapter is dedicated to you all!**

Down, down, down he went, into the mouth of hell. The fire in those crimson pairs of eyes convinced him of that much. This, he thought with scorn, was what hell was like-surrounded on all sides by vampires. At the door now, they stepped closer, daring him to raise his gun. The hand that held his effectively kept him from drawing it, or else he very well might have. Instead of arguing, and instead of using his, by now, predictable threats, Zero remained rigidly still beneath their scrutiny. Not a lick of fear found him as his lilac eyes narrowed dangerously. His grip on Kaname's hand tightened a fraction, and a soothing stroke of the pureblood's thumb over his pale knuckle sent that wave of warm soothing energy pulsating down that ever growing, ever strengthening silver umbilical cord of energy that bound them with their identical marks.

He remained silent-returning the challenging glare with one of his own now as he tightened his jaw and squeezed the hand in his in a death grip. His heart was racing, and the adrenaline a hunter normally feels around a vampire was suddenly intensified. It was due mostly in part of Kaname's grip on him that he didn't snap, though that shred of common sense had long since found him. Now, with a steady flood of warm energy coursing through him and easing his nerves, his jaw un-clenched and he sucked in a breath to speak and address the nobles that surrounded him.

"You know I won't hesitate to kill the first leech who even takes a step towards me to fight. I've lost my patience, so don't push me." He growled this as his eyes narrowed, ignoring the warning squeeze Kaname gave his hand. He bared his own teeth, daring them to give him a reason. When none did, he turned towards the door and watched them part like the Red Sea. The earlier fear in them, the fear after hearing that story and seeing what Zero was capable of when angry, had them keeping their distance, though the threat of Kaname might have had something to do with it as well.

He passed, and as he did, his gaze met the icy hard blue of one Hanabusa Aidou. The blond was glaring openly, disdain written all across his stony expression as those blue eyes threatened to flicker red. When the noble gave no response to the electrically charged glare-nothing more threatening than the slight drop in temperature-Zero's eyes closed and he allowed Kaname to lead him towards the door. He hated the pureblood, but he trusted him more than the rest of the Night Class, that was for sure.

Over his shoulder, however, he picked up on two sets of glares. Aidou was one of them, yes…and Ruka was another. Both crackled and sizzled dangerously. It was the underlying danger, however, that put him on edge. The smaller glares like Kain, Rima, and Shiki's, were what set his spine to tingling. Even the usually very polite Ichijou Takuma didn't appear all that pleased with the very obvious scents lingering around the two.

To them, the vampires who knew how intimacy and mating worked, the scent of Zero that lingered all over Kaname spoke of a transition, spoke of some sort of shift in the reality of the situation. It had been alright, so long as Kaname was running the show. The fact that Kaname, their pureblood leader, smelled of a level-D vampire in that intimate way disgusted them, churned their stomachs. The sheer reality that the foolish ex-human had had the courage to mark their leader was enough to gain their hatred. If Kaname noticed, though, he didn't speak. He wore his unaffected mask well.

Zero ignored them. That was all he could do, he realized. He couldn't fight them, couldn't keep them away from him for long. He would win the war by simply ignoring them. The elephant in the room, figuratively speaking, would continue to go unnoticed until someone got run over by it. Without the knowledge of the event that had caused his body to betray his mind, he walked on in the same way he always had-this time without a limp. Whatever amount of blood he must have taken from Kuran, it had healed him. As he stepped through the doors, he pushed away the nagging hole in his memory and moved forward.

… … …

Kaname led the way, leaving his hand to steadily hold onto Zero's and guide the obviously very lost hunter with them down the long brick walk. The sunlight, or what sunlight was still left in the glow of coming evening, shone down and basked their faces in warm golden rays. The crisp autumn breezes were just cool enough, and the tense anger momentarily dissipated on their way to the academy. It was still there, yes, but the vampire nobles weren't willing to show their true colors in front of humans. Zero simply didn't want to let Yuki see him like that.

They moved, and as they moved, the faint chatter of the Day Class girls come to greet them filled Kaname's ears. His grip on Zero's hand loosened reluctantly and finally fell away completely as he took the lead. The towering gate opened up, swinging in an arch to allow them passage. As he moved through the screaming, cheering, and otherwise giddy human girls, he skimmed Zero's emotions for any sign of distress or anger.

What he felt from the hunter, he noted with sharp focus, was that Zero hadn't bothered to glare at the Day Class girls like he had before. Instead, he could feel those violet eyes searching the faces and knew instantly when they rested on one Cross Yuki, left to hold back the Day Class crowd with little luck. He had to admit, he felt sorry for pulling away her partner prefect. So, smiling as he allowed the other Night Class students to pass, he stepped aside and towards Yuki, feeling Zero do the same.

His hunter had begun to glare at last, sensing the crowds were threatening to overwhelm Yuki. Instantly, the wary glances began and the humans made room as they stared from a safer distance. Their gazes were curious now, and most rested on Zero with whispered conversations. "Yuki, how are you?"

The girl glanced up, large brown eyes beginning to glow with relief as she bowed and greeted Kaname. "I'm fine, Kaname... How has Zero been doing in the Night Class?" Her worried gaze flickered towards Zero, who was currently staring off into space, hands stuffed lazily into his trouser pockets. Her relief to find him unchanged took weight from her conscience and she moved towards him to wrap him in a thoughtless hug around his waist.

Kaname watched in light amusement and chuckled softly as Zero's eyes widened and his arms raised. Those arms fell, however, and wrapped around Yuki's small shoulders in a return greeting. At that moment, the circle was complete, he thought calmly. Leave it to Yuki and her tender personality to calm the cold beast inside Zero. He seemed so whole standing there, embracing her as only a brother could.

"He's been doing just fine, Yuki. You don't have to worry about him." He smiled at this, a secret smile he knew she would understand. He knew she would, because he watched her eyes flick upward and their eyes locked. "You should have seen him this evening, fiddling with his tie." Relying on the knowledge that Ichijou was herding the Night Class students into the building and the Day Class girls had gone away, Kaname patted Zero's head lightly, much to his hunter's blushing disapproval.

… … …

Zero's cheeks flushed lightly at that and he glared weakly, unable to muster the full strength of his glare as he hugged Yuki. He didn't want to move, he realized with slight shock. He didn't want to leave her warm embrace. She was his sister, the only family he could truly call family, and she understood. She had a way of doing that, he'd come to realize. She'd been mad at him; she'd hated him for days after the realization. Hell, she'd even cut crossover a few times. In the end, though, they'd come back together.

He remembered it clearly. He'd been lying in the hay in the stables again, and he'd managed to fall asleep. He had thrown away the blood tablets prior to, and his body had been recently sated by Kaname. Still, something had continued to linger in the back of his mind. He hadn't seen Yuki in a little over a week, and no amount of comforting from a pureblood could ease that worried part of him. He'd cried already, he'd gotten that out of his system. He was dry.

_His head tilted back, silver bangs cascading over his violet eyes as his lips parted in silent sleep. He was waiting for White Lily to come back from her daily walk. He'd been handling the crossover on his own again for the millionth time that week, and he was worn out. He'd gotten there too late to walk Lily himself, which didn't do much for his mood. So, doing the only thing he could think to do, he slept. It had been a restless sleep, yes, and he woke covered in hay from his hair to his shoes, but it hardly mattered._

_It hadn't been the whinnying of the horses or the clop of hooves on the floor of the stables that woke him. Instead, it was the shifting and rustling of light feet over fresh golden hay. He knew those feet, he thought as he yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. Through the remaining bleariness, he watched Yuki stop in the doorway, tracks of clear liquid cascading and staining down her rosy cheeks. She was swiping at them, and her sniffling filled the stables._

_Instantly, his first reaction was alarm. Was something wrong with her? Had someone hurt her? Slowly, though, realization set in and he blinked slowly. She was crying because of him, because of what she'd seen him doing. He had betrayed her, had gone behind her back and let himself be ravaged by the very vampires she so loved. His lilac gaze must have been obvious proof, because he watched her smile weakly and move forward to sit with him in the hay._

_He was fully awake by then, and his body was rigid with worry. His hands, resting on the hay, twiddled and fiddled with small pieces as he thought of something-anything-to say to make this easier on her. Before he could speak, however, she was already doing so. Her voice was heavy with the tears that had dried up in Zero's own body. She was still smiling…_

"_Do you love him?" That was all she said. Those four words, though spoken so simply and non-judgmentally, had yanked at his heart hard and in a way that he'd never expected. It must have shown in his face-this shock-because she went on then to explain herself. "Whenever you two meet, whenever you stare into each other's eyes, it's like electricity sparks. You don't hate him, do you? If you did, you'd never let him touch you like that… Zero, do you love him?"_

_In that one moment, Zero couldn't lie to himself. With wide eyes and a stuttering jumble of inaudible sound, he considered the question. He'd felt so alive, so whole, around Kaname Kuran. Being touched in such an intimate way, the pureblood bastard had given him new reasons to live-to fight. His heart gave another hard lurch as he bit his lip to stop the wordless trembling before finally responding, voice smaller than it had ever been. "I… I do, Yuki. I love him so much I hate him. Damn it, at first it was just my body. That bastard trained my body to love him…but that wasn't enough after a while. He didn't have to do anything, and I fell in love with him on my own… I hate the way I feel myself being drawn back to him, Yuki. I hate that he can have this much control over me without even trying…" He was silent after that, and his jaw clenched to show he'd realized just how much he'd begun to let show through his stoic anger._

_Yuki, however, had been reading his expression. Despite the pain, despite the feeling of hurt and sorrow, she understood. For Zero, he'd not gotten a chance to truly love. For Zero, that had been taken with the lives of his parents. He was, she realized with startling clarity, too afraid to let him feel that most basic need for human contact. His job as a hunter and his hatred for vampires had blinded him to these feelings, and now that he regarded them, it was tearing him up inside. He didn't know how to treat this new and foreign feeling. Her hand came out before she could think, and it cupped Zero's cheek lightly, stroking it slowly with her thumb. She pushed back his bangs and he glanced up at her in that childlike, lost confusion._

"_If you truly love him," she began softly, tears drying as her smile lightened. It was still a sad smile, but there was hope in it. "If you truly love him, then be with him… Be with him and heal, Zero… I won't lie and say it doesn't hurt me; I won't lie and say I'm still a bit sore…but that will pass with time. You got another chance at a life that you can learn to love. Take it…"_

_Zero blinked, and that comforting hug was back. His wide eyes softened and he returned it. That well of tears that he'd thought dried up came bursting forth with slow trickles that stained his own cheeks. This brokenness that was his life-he handed it at last to Yuki, and took hers in return._

He came out of the memory slowly, blinking it away like a dream as he realized someone was speaking to him. He allowed Yuki to step back and stared up in confusion at Kaname. Had he said something?

… … …

Kaname, realizing Zero had been lost in thought, sighed and shook his head in a _'what am I going to do with you'_ way as he repeated himself. "We'd better get moving before class starts, Zero. You're still not allowed to skip, you know." His voice filled with amusement as he snaked his arm around Zero's waist and pulled the boy away. "Yuki, I'll take good care of him. You can stop worrying."

That was, he realized, another good point. He supposed he'd not noticed at first, but Yuki had grown in the months after finding out about them. She'd come to him after talking to Zero, after all, and they'd had their own little discussion. It had left Yuki feeling more independent, and Kaname was proud. In a way, though, it was strange to know the usually shy girl was slowly coming into the assertiveness that the Kuran clan was known for.

"_Yuki, what's the matter?" He sat up at his desk and blinked, watching Yuki tentatively lean on the frame of the door. Her cheeks were red, and instantly his first thought was that Zero had made her cry. The scent of hay and Zero lingered heavily on her, after all. Still, she didn't appear sad. She almost looked…happy?_

_He watched as she stepped inside, folding herself easily into a nearby chair as her hands rested on her knees. Had she come by herself through the Night Class dormitory to see him? He was about to ask her again what the matter was when her voice reached him steadily, stronger than it had over been while addressing him, if he recalled._

"_He loves you," she stated, as if it were a fact that was universal. He was about to ask the stupid question of 'who' when she continued. "Zero loves you, Kaname, and he even cried… He cried because he thinks it's wrong to love you like that… All that I ask of you is that you treat him kindly and go slowly, for his sake. If you could…I don't know…bring it up to him, I guess? If you could get him to admit it, then I think he'd fair a lot better with all of his emotions."_

"_Yuki…" His eyes were wide, lit by candlelight as he listened. Those large dark eyes were wise in that moment and full of understanding. "Whether or not Zero loves m-," He was cut off again; this time by Yuki's raised hand. He pursed together his lips and leaned his chin on his twined fingers to listen._

"_You've got to love him back, Kaname… You might not want to admit it, but you wouldn't offer your blood like you do if you didn't love him… I'll be fine, so please take care of Zero. I can only do so much. I'm only human…and I feel like, even though I'm his sister, I can't touch that part in him that wants to accept his vampire side."_

She'd left shortly afterward to go patrolling, but that one brief conversation had held more meaning than he'd ever wanted to acknowledge. After that-and he still couldn't explain exactly what had happened-he started being gentler to the vampire. He started treating Zero more like a lover than a possession. In the end, in the months following that conversation, he'd allowed the boy to take and take from him, to mark him in that ritual way that bound two souls for life. He had imposed his own will to force Zero into the Night Class. They were all selfish reasons, he knew, but the thought of Zero possibly-just maybe-liking him…or even loving him-was an exciting and thrilling thought.

As he guided Zero towards the academy doors, his hand on the hunter's back began to feel sturdier. Through their fighting, their rough sex, more fighting, and eventually this oddly tender share of flesh and something more, he'd come to the realization that no pureblood or noble had ever dared voice.

He loved Zero. He loved the boy for all that he was, and all that he could become. He loved him for his wounds, his knowledge, and the stubborn will to live and not fall to Level-E. He loved him more than as a pet. Zero-his Zero – his broken and beautiful kitten, had fought tooth and nail for a place in Kaname's heart, though the boy would refuse to admit it, and Kaname was still unsure how he'd gotten there in the first place. Neither had TRIED to fall in love, which was for sure. It had begun as a need for mutual contact, for blood. It had ended up like this, and Kaname desperately wanted to force Zero to remember those intimate hours from the day before.

In short, he thought as they stepped into the warmth of the old building, he wanted to perform the tasks of the happily mated. He wanted to lick those wounds and heal them, wanted to know-to feel-everything Zero had felt and more, if only to find the cure for his lover's reflexive stubbornness and know the reason that kept Zero clinging to life.

He supposed it was in his thoughts, his new revelations, which he failed to notice the menacing aura of the rest of the Night Class towards Zero Kiryuu, who stiffened in his arms the minute the door closed.

**Ok guys, I added the last of the previous chapter into this one, if you noticed the italic flashbacks. I figured it would lend more to the story this way. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one! I got really attached to it, and just know that the angsty stuff will begin in the next chapter. Remember that reviews are always welcome and read with love.**

**Serious guys, you don't know how absolutely in love I am with you. I will bribe you all with cyber cookies if I have to! … The sad thing is that I'm not joking… This is about the time that the forever alone guy pops up… Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**You know guys; I love you all so much! Your reviews just lift me up so much when I read them! I want to thank all of you.**

**Question Answering Time: No, this is not the end of the story. There are still a lot of things I will chock into the next however many chapters. Also, I'm sorry if the timeline seems confusing…I didn't really understand it as I was reading it. Let me lay it out for you a little better.**

**The beginning of Zero's and Kaname's relationship is five months prior to the start of the story. Yuki finds out about the second or third month. It takes her a week or so to accept the relationship and talk to Zero again. It isn't until the talk with Yuki that Zero and Kaname begin to slowly accept their reluctant feelings for one another. Kaname, after finding that Zero's bloodlust would harm Yuki and Zero himself, talked with Yagari and Cross in the months following the talk with Yuki. They all agreed that Zero should join the Night Class as a trial. It was Kaname who pushed up the date for this to occur. Zero has only been in the Night Class for two nights and is rooming with Kaname.**

**I hope this helps you guys!**

One by one, the Night Class filed in behind Kaname. Each clad in his or her respective white uniform, they wore the same or similar expressions of disdain towards the recent turning of events. More than the rest, Kaname Kuran's more intimate inner circle remained intently displeased. Tonight, unlike the past few years, they'd chosen to take up all of the space around Kaname, as if their proximity would intimidate the hunter still held under Kaname's arm.

Hanabusa scowled-the chill of his blue eyes not softened by his blond hair as he raked a thoughtless hand through it. He'd dressed messily that evening, too distraught from the recent events to properly piece together his uniform. His rage towards Zero, especially, had played a very large part in forcing the boy awake, though he'd gotten little sleep that day to begin with.

He took his seat now directly in front of Kaname and Zero, watching as the Kiryuu boy finally wriggled away and took his seat at the window. Hanabusa, still too weary and angry, hardly noticed the intense glare he'd focused onto the silver haired ex-human until a large and very familiar hand came to clamp down on his shoulder. He jumped in surprise and whirled around to scowl up at Akatsuki Kain, who'd managed to appear cool and unaffected.

That outward coolness, no matter how carefully built, wasn't enough to fool Aidou. No, he knew Kain was furious. They all were. It would have been fine, or as close to fine as it could be, if Kaname had been the one to mark Zero. Instead, however, the scent of blood, sex, and a bond had woken them, and the knowledge that the lowly level-D had had the nerve to mark their pureblood leader had sent them all into somewhat of a frenzy. For the most part, however, they'd begun to control their reactions, knowing their punishment by Kaname would be unfavorable at best if their leader knew their feelings.

Aidou knew Kain was at least steady, which was more than he could say for himself. Hell, he knew by the way his own hips ached that Kain was as steady as could be expected. The scent of blood and sex that had riled them had, he thought with slight discomfort in his hips, pushed most of the recklessness out of Kain and into Aidou.

That, he supposed, was what made his insides quiver as he stared up into those serene dark eyes. He'd loved seeing Kain so…out of control was the only way he could put it. Even as his hips ached, he'd committed that intense feeling to memory. Kain wasn't usually so rough and uncontrolled, after all. Still, that look of calmness was enough to unnerve him. He could see the storm brewing beneath that calm gaze, and he promptly kept himself from staring at Zero-instead averting his gaze towards his notebook.

… … …

Ichijou shifted uneasily from one foot to the other as he waited for Kaname to enter the room, Zero in tow. As he closed the door, cutting off the dim light of the hallway, he promptly did not meet Kaname's eyes, though his expression remained calmly polite. How could he meet the pureblood's eyes when his own betrayed exactly how distasteful he found the scent of the ex-human on his leader? He moved slowly now to slide into the seat just above Kain and Hanabusa, feeling Shiki and Rima follow and sit beside him. He did not look over, did not acknowledge Kaname that evening. He wished he didn't feel such distaste, but it was there nonetheless.

His eyes did fixate on Zero, however. The hunter turned vampire was sitting calmly, slouched against the window like usual. Even that, he realized with sudden clarity, was a low blow. Had Kaname lost his mind, allowing the hunter to wear their uniform? He must have, because that slap in the face was obvious to all vampire eyes in attendance.

The familiar warmth on his shoulder made him blink in confusion after a moment, and the tickling of crimson hair on his bared neck sent tingles of memory through his body. His emerald eyes glanced down past soft blond bangs to fixate intently on Shiki's peacefully relaxed expression. He'd worn the boy out the night before, he remembered, and smiled as he leaned over to peck the boy's pale nose. He could still remember it, still remember the way he'd devoured Shiki the day before.

Unlike his usually patient, gentle caresses, he'd taken, taken, and taken some more, and Shiki had allowed him to vent the frustration he felt welling up in his chest. Shiki, his Shiki, had offered himself, knowing it would settle Ichijou's frantic anger. Even now, the redhead was shouldering his disdain and glaring with indifferent grey-blue eyes at Kiryuu, knowing Ichijou did not approve of the hunter. It was almost enough to make Ichijou regret letting Shiki know just how much it affected him.

Shiki, he knew deep down inside, felt uneasy about the knowledge that a lesser vampire had marked Kaname. Unlike Ichijou, however, Shiki's unease stopped there. It wasn't bone deep, and it wasn't angry. He simply disapproved and did not bother to hide it. It was Ichijou's influence that brought Shiki to glaring. Really, the boy was far too innocent sometimes-far too impressionable.

Rima, at least, was angry on her own. She sat calmly, though her glare was a bit more impassioned than Shiki's. Her sharp blue eyes narrowed at Zero and she leaned back in her seat, strawberry pocky dangling from her lips. Ichijou watched out of the corner of his eye she broke off the part she'd been munching, only to pass the remaining portion to Shiki.

The redhead took it with a muttered 'thanks' and propped the wafer between his lips. He sat up slowly and, in an attempt Ichijou assumed was meant to sooth, leaned forward until he felt the end of the pocky at his own lips. Shiki's hand had rested itself on his shoulder now, and every sensation in the vice president's body tingled into life. He bit down in return and their lips brushed, momentarily averting that anger from the day before into silent amusement at Shiki's childlike act of kindness. He patted the boy's soft red hair in return and felt that familiar weight of Shiki's head leaning on his shoulder. The redhead was quickly becoming an expert on mediating that anger Ichijou rarely acknowledged in him.

… … …

Ruka's hatred mirrored Aidou's, though she did not attempt to mask it as she leaned forward, crossed arms pressing hard against the desktop. Her rose petal eyes narrowed and her fangs elongated in rage. She was pale, restless, and angry, a cocktail of emotion that was not new to her. Tonight, though, it had a target, and it had a reason. The hatred that coursed through her veins shook her fingers until she had to clench them to make it stop.

That scent had been disgusting. She'd almost-almost-gotten used to the sex and blood, if it would make Kaname happy. The knowledge that the mistake of a Level-D vampire had left its scent on their pureblood leader had brought her to this, had brought out the worst in her. That was unacceptable, that was disgusting. Who did he think he was, marking their pureblood prince with that sort of bond? How did a low level vampire even know the magic needed to create something like that?

The most heartbreaking part of it, though, was the fact that the bond wouldn't have been strong enough to force onto an unwilling pureblood. It had to have been voluntarily consented to on Kaname's part, and they all realized that, which rubbed the salt of betrayal into the wound created by the scent itself. Her nails dug long and hard into the desktop, and she recovered some piece of solace in the knowledge that she was not alone in her feelings of rage. Many others did the same, felt the same.

… … …

Zero wasn't stupid. He'd sensed their rage the moment he'd walked down the stairs. He wasn't a genius, but it was common knowledge that they were blaming something on him-something big. Somehow, he thought bitterly, it had to do with the gap in memory. The thought brought his hand to itch at his tattoo again. The spot was warming under his fingertips once more, tingling in that familiar warmth that made him want to fidget. Exactly what had he DONE with or to Kaname Kuran the day before to make the glares in those crimson eyes intensify so drastically? Somehow, he figured he didn't want to know. No doubt he would find out soon…

Still, he remained seated where he'd become accustomed at the window closest to Kaname, body tilted in that direction without realizing it. His eyes closed slowly as he waited for classes to begin, though his half-sleep was restless with the knowledge that those eyes were scrutinizing him harder and harder. His entire body was tensed, and his sore hips ached in discomfort.

Suddenly, the need to press himself against Kaname and take refuge in those strong arms was nearly overwhelming. He held his head in one hand and glared out towards the slowly shrinking silver moon, covered partially by overcast clouds above him through the window. No, he thought bitterly, that was a stupid thought, and he was stupid for thinking it. What scared him, though, was that it lingered even after his mind had dismissed it. To him, that was the only safe place to remain. This was more than the unease of a hunter around vampires. That, at least, he tamped down instantly. This coldness was new.

The opening of a door had him blinking and glancing up now, violet eyes shifting restlessly behind silver bangs as they focused intently on Yagari. The feeling of relief was washed quickly away when his master began to sniff the air slowly. That piercing, pointedly disapproving stare was lingering levelly on him, pinning him in place with distaste. Yagari knew-had known for a while-about their relationship-his and Kaname's. Why, now, was he glaring like that? Why did his sensei scowl like that? Again, he knew it had something to do with his gap in memory. Damn it, what had happened?

The unease just kept growing-just kept gnawing on his stomach and chest in slow, bitter tugs. He couldn't move-wouldn't move-and remained immovably at the window. He'd swallowed the plea in his throat, swallowed the urge to beg his master to forgive him for whatever wrong he'd done. He hated that disapproval, hated it more than being a vampire. It was that same disapproval he'd seen in Yagari's eyes when the man had first come to the academy. He'd shot Zero in the shoulder then with the anti-vampire weapon-he'd not hesitated then. The hurt then, and the hurt now, they both mirrored one another. He forced himself to dismiss this as well, however, knowing he would only make it grow by dwelling on it. He ripped away his gaze and the class began like always.

… … …

Kaname was restless. As he stood calmly at the window, book open in his palm, he was restless. Why was he so restless? What was wrong with him? He had no reason to be restless. A pureblood didn't GET restless. Nervousness joined it, then the tug of a heart in pain, the longing for acceptance, and finally the unease. These couldn't be his emotions…

Only half listening to the lesson at the front of the class, his gaze fell on Zero out of the corner of his eye and he knew instantly what was wrong. As his vermillion gaze absorbed the pleading in those lilac eyes, as his aura read Zero's, Kaname at last understood. The silver string of power that connected them gave a tug and was transmitting those helpless emotions from Zero to him. That string had grown stronger, and he felt the tug to come and sooth those uneasy feelings, despite the reputation of coldness he held as a pureblood.

There was something else beyond the unease, though. He focused intently on that line of power and felt his mind brush against Zero's. He was, with his own eyes closed, seeing things through Zero's eyes, hearing his thoughts, KNOWING him on that most basic level. The boy had never stopped craving that need for Yagari's acceptance, and the older hunter's glare was unsettling him. Zero was, Kaname realized, feeling the hatred of several vampire glares. He supposed he'd hardened himself from those emotions enough not to notice usually, and he mentally kicked himself for overlooking that fact.

He pulled out of Zero's mind slowly then and came back to himself. How had he missed that? Of course that would be the reaction of his underlings after sensing what they had the day before. As he studied Zero now, he watched as the hunter pressed his back hard against the glass of the window, as if that would steady him somehow. Not even a skilled hunter could stand up to that sort of intense scrutiny, especially when it was so personally hateful.

Somewhere outside of his thoughts, a door swung open and his eyes focused sharply on the shadowed figure in the light of the hallway. He knew already that it was the chairman. Class had stopped, and he gave Cross his full attention with a pointed nod. Cross was a former hunter so no doubt he'd read and understood the tension in the room-no doubt he'd come to understand what had happened between him and Zero. Any hunter would smell the blood bond, and it would make them naturally uneasy.

"Kuran, I need to talk to you and Ichijou for a moment, please. I have some things to discuss with you concerning the Senate…" Kaname was already moving, and he knew Ichijou was following his lead wordlessly. What could the Senate possibly want with him now?

As he left, he tossed a glance back over his shoulder and bit his lip in concentration. He didn't want to leave Zero vulnerable. During the first few days of formation, the mark would leave Zero exposed. It was his status as a pureblood that kept Kaname functioning perfectly fine away from Zero, though he longed to be beside the boy like nothing else in the world. Zero, for all the things that had happened to him, was on his own now and more vulnerable than the hunter would ever admit to. It would take Kaname's constant presence to sooth that unease, just like it would take a touch from Zero to unwind the tension in his shoulder blades. Still, he left and allowed the door to shut behind him. He sensed Yagari following and cursed silently. Who would be there to watch Zero now?

… … …

Back in the room, all eyes waited for that door to click shut. The Night Class listened intently for the footsteps to fade and those crimson eyes brightened. Like sharks who smelled blood in the water, their gazes snapped as one towards Zero, and their movements mirrored one another. They were a single entity then, a single unit working towards the good of their pureblood master. To them, Zero had imprisoned, bewitched their beloved Kaname, into a trap-into imprisonment, and they would not stand for that.

They stood as one before the window, some on desktops, on benches, and on the floor surrounding the window. On the front lines, Ruka and Hanabusa glared down at Zero with menace and their fangs bared themselves with ivory flashes under the moonlight that dimly lit the room. The eyes-the luminous crimson eyes-pinned Zero where he sat as they all took a collective step forward. Their pale faces reflected the dim rays of silver moonlight and their dark presence somehow outshined it now.

Ruka paused in her advances as she stepped up in front of Zero. That was the difference between them and him. They were taller, stronger, and far more powerful than the pitiful ex-human who remained where he'd been sitting the whole night. As it was, the hunter wasn't bothering to fight back. He simply sat, blinking cold lavender eyes up at them. He seemed somewhat…bored? Ruka's lips pulled back at the nonchalance shown her and her hands rose from her sides, fingernails sliding gracefully into dangerous razor sharp talons.

"You think you're so powerful now that you've marked Kaname-Sama? You should know level-D vampires aren't welcome here, Kiryuu." That was Hanabusa. While usually the one rendered speechless with rage, he was lethally calm, as cold as the ice with which he wielded power over. His arms remained crossed neatly over his chest as he stepped up beside Ruka, his own eyes shining electric blue instead of crimson. For once, he was in control of his emotions. This wasn't regular anger-not now. He had a lot to pay the prefect back for, after all. Not only his pride, but his reputation had been smudged badly by the insults, the fight he'd lost, and especially Kaname's open chastisement. It was all because of Zero.

Two vampires stepped forward. They were handsomely beautiful creatures, as all of the nobles were, with flickering crimson eyes and bared fangs. Their claws, too, were extended. They flanked Zero now, cutting off any escape. The rest encircled Zero, ready to use any and all of their powers to put the hunter in his place. As one, they growled.

Hanabusa's cold gaze watched the shock slip from Zero's expression. The hunter's instincts were working fast now, and would work faster soon. They'd only slightly surprised him. He watched as Zero snarled and almost-almost-flinched back at the potential for destruction that lay in the man's low growl. He shuddered inside and consoled himself with the knowledge that all of the nobles were backing him. He'd been expecting it-been expecting to greet the silver barrel of the anti-vampire weapon fairly quickly. It glowed like their fangs under the moonlight and nearly hummed with potential energy. Zero's finger remained on the trigger.

What startled Aidou hadn't been the gun. He'd been about to knock it away with a shard of ice as it was. He watched it begin to sizzle and glow. Suddenly the room went up a few degrees in temperature. He watched with silent amusement as Zero's eyes widened. That fool wasn't frightened yet. The finger pulled back and a random shot was fired into the crowd. Hanabusa did deflect that, and was just in time to watch Zero drop the burning silver weapon. He kicked it leisurely away with his foot and smirked, turning back to watch Zero clench the burnt palm in anger and try to ignore it.

Behind him, Kain cleared his throat and Aidou almost stopped…almost. "Hanabusa, that's enough…" Always the calm thinker, always reasonable, Kain was still smart enough to not pick a fight with the association's best hunter. Still, that low voice vibrated with anger and Aidou knew it would take little convincing to get Kain on his side. There was no time to be on the fence about these things.

"He'll learn his place, Akatsuki… I'll make damn sure he learns his place! I'll do it to free Kaname-Sama." The ice formed at his command. It formed even as he spoke, snaking up Zero's legs as they rested on the floor. It had been silent, and now tightly constricted to freeze that way. It was too thick to break with human strength…or level-E strength. Zero was trapped now, and the shock in those bright lavender eyes made him almost giddy with excitement.

It was Ruka's turn. He stepped back and watched her snarl, knew her anger matched his, and smirked. She lunged, and he folded his arms, watching as those clawed hands closed around Zero's throat.

Ruka squeezed, squeezed, and squeezed some more, banging Zero's head back against the glass in rage as the boy clawed at her wrists in vain. She hardly noticed it, and that was what brought her killing rage back into check. She narrowed her eyes now to study his quickly paling features and those eyes…those eyes that wouldn't flicker red. Why wouldn't they change? This only made her angrier, and she slammed his head back on the window again.

… … …

Pain-blinding pain-sang through his entire body and numbed it. No, he thought, holding back the beast inside him. No, he couldn't attack, couldn't risk his precarious sanity. One wrong move and he would fall to that level, would fall to Level-E. If that happened, then no amount of blood would bring him back. He knew it. The second his eyes flickered, he would lose control. As it was, the sickly sweet scent of his own blood in his nose was both tempting and sickening. It nauseated him and he paled, his own fangs piercing his lip. His pale hands gripped those hands around his neck, and he knew he would meet his end at this rate…yet he refused to die.

Damn it, every time he wanted just to die, it would never happen. What the hell was keeping him here? Again, his neck tingled. It tingled until it felt warm…then like it was on fire. Shit, it hurt so badly. His burned palm stung, but it paled in comparison to the pain that coursed through him at his neck. He hardly noticed as Ruka's hands left his throat. His own eyes had closed now, and he coughed, trying to catch and regulate the breath through his sore windpipe. His head ached, and he was thirsty-so thirsty. His neck burned. HE burned. It was painful… Suddenly, it was like his own body was burning, and the ice around his legs faded. The pain in his palm lessened, lessened, and finally vanished.

There it was-his eyes. There went the purple he saw in the mirror. Whatever sanity he'd held onto, an outside force had pushed it away. In his mind, he envisioned a long silver string leading to…somewhere. Something pushed him on the other side of that disappearing cord and he lost his sanity then. The burning stopped, and his hand was momentarily numb. He stood then and smelled the fear in their blood. It awoke something dangerous inside him and he growled, not bothering now with his gun. This was a fight between vampires.

He lunged forward; fangs extended, and sank them into the first pale flesh he saw. A loud shriek told him he'd found a target, and he growled into the bite, felt clawed hands rip at his shoulders. Still, he did not move. This surge of power was intense-overwhelmingly intense. Was this what a pureblood felt like? Even as he absorbed that lifeblood from a noble, he had only one thought. This sudden power was warm-sensually warm-through that silver cord. He pulled silently away, blood staining his lips and his white blazer to match his crimson eyes.

He wiped it away with his sleeve and blinked, standing from who he vaguely knew was Ruka. She was huddled now, furious like an animal, and clutching her neck, though she didn't make a move to get up or attack. She was no longer a threat to him.

He turned to his next target. Hanabusa Aidou stood before him, eyes wide and heart racing. Zero was still hungry. His neck still throbbed-still BURNED. His lips parted and his fangs glinted ruby and ivory in the newly brightened moonlight. A step forward-then another-and another, and he stood now before the blond, eye to eye. Something cold found him and he was on the floor…bleeding? His hand came up to clutch the gash in his arm that had been created by a shard of ice slicing through it. He yowled in pain, a wounded beast, and struggled to his feet. That burst of power was dwindling, and the blood of a noble did little to help him now. He staggered and grasped for the wall, wincing as another shard of ice tore through his shoulder. He could smell his own blood again, and the burning in his neck ceased. Whoever had pushed him, whoever had given him that power, had cut the connection now.

Zero panted, and his vision swam, still bathed in ruby. His chest hurt so badly…and his head. His head throbbed, and his eyes ached like his fangs. He was crying? No, he couldn't cry now! He felt the pulse of darkness, felt it around his eyes, and they widened in shock and pain as a vampire he didn't know ran at him and punched him in the chest. Ribs broke, cracked, and pain exploded inside his body. He was sure he had other broken bones, but his body had gone numb.

His gaze flickered, flickered, and flickered some more. Only then did he realize he was falling. He was falling fast. Pain again, and it coursed through him dully. He'd hit the floor, and the dark room filled with sudden and painful light. Someone had turned the overhead lights on. The red in his vision faded and the dim shadow above him came closer. He was on his back now? How had he gotten there? He was about to ask when his voice cracked, rasped, and he reached out desperately, trying to grasp his sanity back with both hands. He couldn't reach it…so it came to him. That figure slowly came closer, and a burst of crimson on pale skin met his lips.

He clung to the strong familiar body and suckled greedily, like a drowning man coming up for air. He felt it as the pureblood nectar coursed slowly through him, slowly mending the worst of his injuries. Before his eyes closed, the flash of something under a desk caught his eye. His anti-vampire weapon lay there, and his eyes refocused. Dark hair, wavy and soft, before desperate vermillion eyes, brought him to hear the voice. The angel above him, the angel whose blood he took, was calling his name, telling him not to sleep. He wanted Zero to 'stay with' him? What did he mean? Why was he floating?

Cross was there now, sullen and worried. He didn't wear his glasses now, and his hair was down. His vision faded and refocused after a moment. Yagari stood over him now, his good eye projecting honest worry. Fading vision gave way to a startlingly clear picture of another angel…Yuki? He reached out a shaking hand to her and it fell back at his side. She looked so angelic, so worried for him. He smiled just for her, just to ease her worry, and finally found her hand. She was speaking to him now… What was she saying? Where had the first angel gone? Why couldn't he feel anything?

"Zero, just rest… Kaname says the worst of the damage is healed. He said you'll be better soon… Zero, please stay with me. Please don't shut your eyes, Zero… You're on a stretcher, and we're taking you to the infirmary. Don't worry, Zero. I'll visit you every day, I promise! Zero…" Her expression was so sad. He wanted to tell her not to be sad, not to worry about him. He would be fine…

His hand raised now and he cupped her cheek weakly. His hand shook slightly. His lips parted to reassure her and no sound came out. Instead, he heard Cross telling her to let him rest. Rest, they said? He didn't need rest… His body disagreed, and the previous throb in his neck increased. Somewhere in the fray, he'd been bitten, and the fang marks only made it worse. Why did it hurt so badly? He whimpered, unable to make it stop. Why were they strapping down his arms? Only then did he realize he was thrashing.

The shadow descended over him as he floated on the stretcher. Kaname's face-the angel from before-was there above him now, and that sudden intense ache in his neck was a soothing throb. Had he given him blood? That warm thought gave way to harsher feelings. "Your fault," he muttered, eyes narrowing weakly. "You left… Your fault, Kaname…your…fault…" He drew silently into himself after that, feeling those soft lips on his. Sadness through that silver cord found him. He responded with anger and turned his head to the side, feeling the ache of need against his neck.

"Hush, Zero. Go to sleep now and heal. I'm sorry I had to force you into a bloodlust earlier. I couldn't reach you…I'm so sorry…" Hands-gentle hands-found him now and he felt his weakened body sag. Those hands held his face and the ache in his neck dimmed. He was slipping…slipping…slip…

He was drifting now. He was drifting on loathing, on bitterness. Kaname had left, had abandoned him. He should never have trusted the pureblood…or any of them. Yuki was a fool to trust them. All he saw were fangs; all he knew of them was pain and blood. He loathed himself for his blood lust, loathed Kaname for abandoning him…loathed the world because he could. Silent tears trickled down his cheeks now and he floated in the darkness on that loathing. Even as he floated, the image of a rose wove together in his mind, and the warm tingling at his neck followed the pattern…

**Hey guys! So what did you think? Sorry, it took me days to write this! Don't hate me! I wanted it to be good, and the first attempt…sucked. I tried to pack this with as much detail and emotion as I could. Sorry for the absence. I've been busy with homecoming and a birthday party this weekend between writing this. If you liked this, then you'll love Kaname's reaction in the next chapter. Ben4Kevin, I hope you like it! Bye guys!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Wow, I'm really glad you guys liked that chapter! I feel like the story has come a long way! I'm so excited! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one, too. This is on Kaname's end, concerning the last chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

Confusion lit his eyes as he stood straight, blinking away confusion as his mind comprehended the figures stationed at the bottom of the slanted classroom, near Yagari's desk. Cross was there, and Yagari himself…and they looked uneasy, he realized with the slightest stiffening of his muscles. What the hell was happening all of the sudden?

He could feel Zero against his body, could feel the boy wriggling in his arms and knew a blush would paint those cute cheeks. He didn't want to, but his arms did untangle, the white fabric of his blazer swishing lightly as he watched Zero step away and take his seat at the window. He would have to convince Zero somehow to sit in an actual desk like the rest of the students, though the knowledge that his hunter was within arm's reach was a great comfort. He was no fool, he thought bitterly, resisting the urge to tug Zero back the minute the prefect stepped out of the circle of his arms. They'd both noticed the crimson glares and suspicious gazes. It was no secret, what had happened that day. Personally, he didn't mind-couldn't MAKE his mind-accept the fact that he'd been marked by the level-D vampire. His body shuddered and his neck tingled at the memory of it.

In his mind's eye, he recalled the way the electricity in his body spiked and crackled, and how Zero had held onto him so tightly. He could feel the fangs piercing his neck and shuddered as he fondly recalled the feeling of giving his own blood to Zero. His hunter, like a kitten with cream, had lapped and sucked and drank his blood willingly. He had clung to Kaname, and Kaname had held him, had anchored him.

Still, it unsettled him to see that look in Zero's dusty lilac eyes. That was a lonely gaze, sorrowful even, and he felt it through the bond as his mate curled emotionally into himself. A glance towards Yagari told him why. Zero wouldn't admit it-he didn't expect the boy to, really-but he knew Zero yearned for the praise of his former teacher. It had stung Zero deeply to be scorned by him for falling to his vampire thirst upon Yagari's first arrival, but this look of uneasiness in the older hunter's eyes made Kaname nod slowly to himself. For Zero to feel that he'd betrayed his teacher by marking a pureblood vampire was unacceptable to Kaname, especially because Zero didn't remember any of it.

He pushed the thoughts away now as he turned his full attention on the two figures in the front of the class. Takuma had begun to stand as well, and Kaname stiffened uneasily. If the chairman needed the president and vice president of the Night Class, as well as their vampire hunter/teacher, it wasn't an issue he could brush off. Seeing the urgent flash of uncertainty behind Cross's wiry glasses, he bit his lip and sent one last glance Zero's way, hoping beyond hope that he could check in periodically through the silver connection between them. Zero could handle his own; especially with Kaname's blood coursing through his veins, but blood alone could go only so far. He couldn't take the hunter with him, knowing the Senate had most likely heard of his new…dilemma already. His mouth suddenly felt like cotton just then, dry and coarse, as he descended the stairs towards the door. Inside, he was cold.

The hallway outside was silent, and the doors sealed the hushed whispers inside the room once more. It was brighter out here, harsher, and he forced himself not to squint into the slightly brighter light as he followed Cross. He knew without looking that Yagari would be eyeing him warily, but it hardly mattered. No doubt the older hunter had smelled Zero on him. He'd dealt with hunters before, and his diplomacy was, after years of Takuma's influence, perfect in its fullness. He kept on, ignoring Yagari for the most part. The vice president himself was a step behind Kaname now, and he was able to let his tense muscles ease slightly at the knowledge. He knew Takuma disapproved, knew they all did, but they wouldn't openly go against him to harm Zero…would they? At least Seiren was with Zero.

A glimpse of short purple hair from his silent bodyguard chilled his blood. She had opted to accompany them. Alright, that meant that he'd left his mate in a dark and confined classroom with more than a handful of society's strongest young vampire nobles… That wasn't a reassurance by any means. Shiki and Rima, though usually moderate, would not move to help mediate any conflicts, and he didn't expect them to, really. Still, that spiked his unease further. No doubt Kain was a little more impressionable because of Hanabusa…and Ruka was more so. He forced his mask of pleasantness as he stepped into the chairman's office.

He was about to ask what had happened, was about to suggest they move quickly and finish this trying matter, in order for him to go back and oversee the Night Class once more. As the door closed, however, Cross was in front of him, gaze level and unflinching as he held out a simple manila envelope, marked with the waxy seal of the High Vampire Senate. Cross's fingers did not shake, and he did not joke or make small talk. This, Kaname thought with unease, frightened him more than words ever could.

"Kaname, this came for you today. It…concerns Kiryuu." He watched silently over the edge of the manila envelope as Cross was led by Yagari's eerily calm hands toward his desk chair to sit. The old hunter's legs were weakened, and that was enough to make Kaname's grip on the envelope tighten a fraction. He felt pale. Hell, he KNEW he was pale-after seeing the usually sturdy, sometimes annoying, hunter become so shaken. "Kaname, they'll come after him, after Zero…after my son." He watched Cross rest his forehead on his folded hands and the light overhead glared off the face of his glasses to hide the salty tears in his eyes. Hunters rarely cried, and that was what convinced Kaname to open it.

With Takuma and Seiren standing near the door, and Yagari sizing him up from behind the desk, hands still resting on Cross's shoulders, he brought one long pale finger to slide along the seal and break it. He set aside the envelope then and studied the elegant scrawl with critical dark eyes. Yes, that was handwriting he would know anywhere. This was the Senate.

_Kaname,_

_We hope this letter finds you well, and we would like to congratulate you on your success with the Night Class at Cross Academy. Other than this recent success, however, a recent disturbance has been brought to our attention. We are of the understanding that you have incorporated one Zero Kiryuu, a vampire hunter and Level-D vampire, into your class for experimental purposes. While we fully support your use of integration to prove your pacifistic stand on this issue, we regret to inform you that the act of a lower level vampire marking a higher level vampire-especially a pureblood by a level-D vampire-is strongly prohibited, and will be met with intense opposition._

_This being said, we, acting as the Senate whose job it is to regulate vampire society, are offering you an alternative to the otherwise inevitable end of Kiryuu Zero. We strongly suggest you break the mark that binds you both. After such action has been taken, you may employ the same method to keep the ex-human as your pet and therefore keep him from reaching a level-E state. You have the remainder of this month to make your decision. After such time, we regret to inform you that we shall take immediate action towards eliminating Kiryuu Zero as a threat to vampire society._

_We hope that you, as part of the pureblood hierarchy, will understand our decision and act according to your role in the aforementioned hierarchy, for the good of your people. We wish you a long and enriched life, Lord Kaname, and do hope to hear from you again at a later date._

_The High Vampire Senate_

He was trembling. Kaname Kuran was trembling and unable to control it now as the elegantly phrased words sank into the very core of his being. He shook, and the touch of a hand to his shoulder from Takuma was not enough to calm him. The paper caught fire slowly, and it burned with the flicker of intense cruel blues and reds until nothing but ash remained to flutter to the ground from his pale, unharmed fingertips. It had been pure rage that had set the fire, and he vaguely recalled watching Takuma stomp it out with the heel of his shoe. Still, he did not speak. His lips moved, yet no sounds came out. His throat ached suddenly, and the cotton mouth from earlier turned into a scorching desert.

The world around him was spinning, swirls of intensely vivid colors and noises filled the room and he swayed on his heel. He was gripping the back of a nearby chair now, he realized blankly. He was gripping it, and the strength in the grip had torn the back of it nearly off. He continued to shake. His heart was racing, was throbbing painfully against his chest, and he began to silently search for words enough to describe what he felt. He was just sane enough not to go into a bloody frenzy that killed the inhabitants of the office, though his anger was drawing him closer.

He hissed in a deep, considering breath before exhaling sharply. The red he saw faded slowly from his vision and he straightened slowly. His muscles, one by one, relaxed back into the coolness of indifference, the perfect model of a Pureblood Prince. He cleared his throat, covering his lips with the hand that had previously been about to break a chair. His eyes closed, opened, and closed again, and the flutter of his lashes grazed his cheek. "Well," he continued, turning to gaze into Cross's calm hard eyes. No school chairman there anymore. A hunter was in its place. "I suppose I will have to consult Zero on this matter. It is no secret that he has, indeed, marked me as a mate, and I realize that, to keep this bond, I will have to make him my pet. That being said, I will give him the choice to either break the bond or change it…"

He would have to first let Zero KNOW about the bond and remember what had happened that day… Guilt welled up inside him now and he gritted his teeth thoughtfully. Zero had asked for none of this. He'd been content with hating vampires and hunting level-Es. He'd just gotten used to his life again. Hell, he'd just begun to TRUST Kaname. All of that would shatter, he knew.

He supposed it was this knowledge of the impending consequences that kept him from, momentarily at least, feeling the spike of unease through the bond. That was Zero…and he was in danger. While he'd been standing around, it had escalated. The worst case scenario was becoming a quick reality, and it was as if he were struggling to surface from a dream to react. He was almost out of that dreamy confusion when the pain arched through Zero and into him. That open flood of energy from him to Zero opened up and he felt his pureblood power fuel Zero's level-E state as the boy defended himself.

"Go," he rasped, trembling legs giving out beneath him a moment. He grasped the edge of the desk and slid down to crouch on the floor before the desk, holding his throat. Was this the intense and desperate hunger of a level-E vampire? "Go now and stop him. Zero is…he's falling." Paralyzed with the ache of everything Zero felt, he struggled to his feet and watched Takuma blink in confusion.

"Kaname-"

His vermillion eyes flashed crimson with rage and his fangs elongated. "Go to Zero before he falls completely! He's wounded, and my power won't last him much longer…" He coughed then and paled. He couldn't… He couldn't allow Zero the use up all of the power between the both of them. They would both die if that happened. He forced the silver connection to go dead momentarily, if only to snap Zero back to himself. It worked, he had no doubt it hand, though he could only hope Takuma and Seiren had gotten there in time.

As he made his way out of the office, helped by the chairman as Yagari followed Takuma at a sprint, he blinked. Yuki's familiar face was awash with pale worry now as she stood in the hallway before them. He was about to speak, but Cross cut him off promptly.

"Yuki, go to the classroom to be with Zero. Something bad has happened." The scent of blood had reached their noses then, and Kaname watched Yuki's large dark eyes widen in understanding. She ran, not stopping as she burst through the doors. Pushing off from Cross, he followed suit, urgently moving through the doors and into the overwhelming cocktail of spilt blood.

Yagari brought the stretcher. Yuki had knelt beside Zero. He watched as Takuma's fangs elongated. The vice president held the Night Class at bay now as Cross ran to help Yagari position Zero's body onto the stretcher. His anger could wait, he thought as he joined them, just in time to lean over Zero and cup the boy's face. He was alive… Relief swam in his eyes as he held Zero's face in his hands, stroking those pale cheeks. Zero was shaking, still thrashing and trying to fight, but his eyes were that same scared lavender he'd glimpsed earlier…

He listened to the accusation leave Zero's lips. "You left… You abandoned me…" The thing was, he thought bitterly, it was true. Without thinking, he did the only thing he could. He pushed open the silver connection again and bit down into his wrist, forcing to blood to Zero's lips. He wouldn't die. No, he wouldn't die-not now. He wouldn't die when he still had so much to live for. Kaname watched them strap Zero's still struggling body down and felt tears trickle down his cheeks. Yuki was soothing him now, and he eased away his wrist from Zero's lips. Cross had assured him Zero would be taken care of, though, which gave him just enough strength to become cold inside.

He wiped furiously at the tears and stood to his full height, menace and ill-will resonating off of him in thick and unreadable waves. The black tendrils of it snaked out and through the room that had long since grown silent. Takuma stood guiltily behind him, eyes downcast. The blond had done no physical harm to Kiryuu, though it was common knowledge that he regretted hoping for the worst to find the hunter. That was, Kaname thought bitterly, enough punishment for him… As for the rest of the Night Class, however, things were just beginning.

"He is," he began slowly, coldly, crimson streaking cruelly through his aura and into his eyes, "my mate. He IS my lover. He did claim me, mark me… What I allow has nothing whatsoever to do with all of you. What gives you the right to interfere in my affairs? Did you assume I did not know what I was doing? Did you assume I was weak enough to be helpless against a level-D vampire? I accepted Zero Kiryuu's mark willingly," he growled, shooting the intense glare towards Hanabusa now, then to Ruka.

He watched them fall to their knees, heads bowed in reverence and fear, and it did not please him. Nothing would. They answered as one. "No, Lord Kaname. We are deeply apologetic. We were wrong." There was no bitter resentment of the ex-human in their voices. The fear of the last known Kuran pureblood was enough to overpower that hatred.

Kaname nodded slowly, walking up and down the rows, hands behind his back now, as he continued, making sure his voice resonated off the walls of the room. "Do you know the price of your transgression? Do you know what the penalty is for those who dare interfere in the sanctity of a bond between vampires? Do you know…?" He paused then, eyes narrowing dangerously on Aidou and Ruka, "what I will DO to those who have informed the Senate of this private bond I have formed with Kiryuu-Kun?" Silence followed, and he nodded slowly. The fear was thick in the air now, cold as ice, and he continued. "I could expel you; I could physically punish all of you…"

He turned away then and his aura lessened. He heard them all stand and smirked inwardly. They truly did think he'd gone soft, didn't they? He turned on his heel and, smiling, strode towards Hanabusa and Ruka, who'd both managed to look slightly relieved. His hands were around their throats before they could take another full breath, and he hoisted them up without flinching. "I will kill you both if you ever touch Zero again…" He tossed them like ragdolls and, just as coldly, turned to glare at the sea of faces. "Spread that word, because that goes for everyone. I will not stand for it, and the bond between Zero and I will go unbroken and unchanged. Class is dismissed. If any of you think of stepping one foot outside the dorms, you will be punished accordingly. No outside blood and your blood tablets will be limited. Your daily privileges are hereby gone until further notice. Takuma…escort them back, won't you?"

He turned as his vice president moved to round them all up. He strode swiftly now to the infirmary, purpose behind every step. Yagari would be there, Cross too, and Yuki would no doubt be at Zero's bedside and on constant guard, like a mother hen protecting her baby chick. Only then did he allow the weakly spoken words to register in his frazzled mind. He knew how cold that abandonment felt, how sharp its blade and he regretted knowing that he'd abandoned Zero just then. The boy was still weak after being marked, and defending himself against a sea of vampire nobles was a foolish notion on its own.

More than that, he thought as his hand rested on the handle of the door. He had allowed Zero to fall to that level-E state and let his own self be rendered temporarily paralyzed by the intensity of it. Was that what it felt like to be totally overwhelmed by the bloodlust of falling to level-E? How had Zero dealt with it so calmly, so coldly? No pureblood would be any match against that inward storm of conflicting emotions-they wouldn't be strong enough.

He eased the door open and, as expected, all eyes were on him. Cross and Yagari would have already sensed him nearing, heard his footfalls. Yuki's eyes, however, widened in shock, and he watched them glow feverishly bright with the desperate need to protect Zero. Obviously she'd never seen the boy so broken before, not physically at least. In that brightness of her glassy eyes, he watched slight accusation settle in.

"Kaname…" Her voice was strangely steady now as she sat up, blinking back the urge to leap up. She sat poised at Zero's side, seated calmly on the bed. She held that suddenly too pale hand in hers and her eyes narrowed a fraction. The glint of the usual Kuran attitude was there, alright. "You shouldn't have left him alone…" Obviously Cross and/or Yagari had explained the mark to her, because her fingertips had been lightly stroking the newly formed tattoo on Zero's neck with tender gentleness.

"I had no choice, Yuki…" Even as he spoke, he wanted to take it back. He could have taken Zero with him. He'd been foolish enough to believe Zero could handle it in this new state of vulnerability. He stepped forward, eyes begging Yuki to allow him passage towards the bed. Silence fell for a long drawn out moment before she relented and stood. Kaname watched as she leaned down and pecked Zero's pale cheek tenderly and tucked the blankets up around him more. Her fingertips lingered a long moment, and she finally tore herself away at Cross's insisting she needed rest.

The door clicked shut and he took the still-warm seat beside Zero, leaning down to cup that angelically sleeping face in both hands. His own were, he realized in horror, shaking. He'd been so full of worry that his hands slid automatically from their place holding his hunter's face, down until he had peeled away the covers to reveal Zero's pale and bandaged chest. Old scars, those he'd seen thousands of times, were faded and new ones were pink against that alabaster skin. The skin was tender still, and slightly discolored due to the injury, but the blood he'd offered earlier from his wrist was keeping Zero sedated and numb for now. That, at least, was good.

He leaned down and sighed, brushing a soft kiss along the exposed flesh as it quivered in response. His smile was sad against it now as he brushed his cheek over the tender bandaged area. The warmth there was a comfort, and he had to resist the urge to wrap himself around Zero-protect his hunter as he healed. His gaze was oddly pleading now as he stared up at Cross, knowing already what the verdict would be.

"He's got to go back, Kaname. If you won't break the bond, then he's got to be in the Day Class again, where it's safe. Yuki will be his guard, and Yagari will watch over him. Zero won't patrol, though. Yagari and an additional hunter will help with that as Yuki cares for Zero at night."

His head rose at that, dark hair falling over confused vermillion eyes. "You're bringing in another hunter?" His mixed feelings welled up now and he clenched his jaw. Damn it…that was both good and bad. Zero would be protected, but hunters were never good…companions. They were all stubborn and prideful, much as Zero still was. While that was a very cute trait on the boy, it annoyed him already on Zero. More prideful hunters wouldn't fix that. Still, he nodded his agreement. "Fine, do what you must if it will help Zero…"

Whether he'd seen just how deeply Kaname worried for Zero, or he'd noticed the way the hunter's expression softened at Kaname's touch, albeit in his sleep, Cross bit his lip and nodded. "Kaname Kuran, meet Kaito Takamiya, your new instructor." His arm extended to the door, and another strong presence made itself known.

The messy sandy brown hair was styled around a young, strongly angled face as the hunter's long lean body strode forward without fear towards the pureblood, extending a sure hand. That cocky smirk positively glowed in the honey eyes as the hand dropped, as if knowing Kaname wouldn't accept the gesture. Still, he didn't let it faze him. As he sat comfortably in the chair across from the bed, he leaned forward and crossed his leg over his knee, craning his neck to get a good look at Zero's body. "I see you've caused me a lot of trouble already, vampire. You see, I don't intend to let a bloodsucker like you hurt my comrade again. Consider this your only night to be close to Zero before I begin implementing my plans."

Kaname's fangs extended at the words and he knew, instinctively, that this was all part of the hunter's bag of tricks to make him react. He refused to do so, however, as he remained partially leaned over Zero, shielding him instinctively from those sharp eyes. They didn't pose a threat to the boy, but Kaname was a little more than…territorial when it concerned his mate. "The bond is still growing, hunter. He requires my presence more often than before at this moment in time. Not only that, but he requires my blood as well as my support."

Kaito smirked wryly at that, eyes rolling. "After tonight, I doubt Zero will like you half as much as you would like to believe, vampire. For now, though, I suggest you go tend to your people and leave me to watch over Zero. After all, you Purebloods have more to worry about, if I'm not mistaken."

Cross chose that moment to intervene; exasperated to find Yagari leaning slouched on the wall, arms crossed. No help at all… "That's enough. Kaname, Zero will be just fine… We'll figure this out, but you've got to go for right now. I will take Zero back to his room, and Yagari will show our new student teacher where he will be staying as well. For now…let's all just clear our heads. This is all happening too quickly." He shook his head slowly then, as if to clear it, and was back to his old and foolish self.

Kaname stood grudgingly at that and nodded, turning with a last glance over his shoulder as Cross ushered him out. At least he had the bond… He could check in on Zero like that, and things would be fine…right?

**Ok guys, I'm worn out tonight, so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If I left anything out or you're all confused as hell about something, leave it in the reviews and I'll get back to you on it in the next chapter! For now, goodnight and reviews are welcome!**

**Also, and this is in my bio, you can find me on Twitter under MewSara100 … Yes, I realize I use that for everything… If you Google search it, you're more than likely to find my deviant art account too. That's ok though, because I love stalkers! I don't tweet a lot, but I'll try to post updates and recent events in the fictions there. Also, check out the poll for my pending Halloween Vampire Knight Yaoi Fiction on my bio!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! I love you all even more, I hope you know that! I love the reviews, and they inspire me! They got me through school today since they didn't block Gmail… Anyways, I know there's been mixed feelings about the upcoming plot, and I hope I can answer some questions and clear up some confusion.**

**Kanze4ever, don't worry dear! Kaname isn't done being angry-face. And I know a lot of you didn't like the idea of Zero hating Kaname, but their relationship will take a huge hit and it'll seem like that for a while. It's hard to explain right now, so you all will just have to read the chapter. And I've never read the manga, so this is my first time hearing about Kaito-Kun…besides Vocaloid…*cough cough* so my apologies if Kaito isn't what most of you are familiar with. A wiki page doesn't constitute as much background when writing a fan fiction…**

**Anyways, I hope you guys like this! Remember, you can find me on Twitter under MewSara100 and I'll try to keep you guys posted f you do. I don't really use Twitter for anything right now, since I hate it as a social media network. For updates it's good, though. Private message me if you want to find me on facebook.**

Waking up had proven to be as slow and painful as Zero had first anticipated…though something about this painfully slow surfacing into awareness was off… Without daring to open his lavender eyes to the outside world, he could feel the chill of the artificial light that blazed above him over his eyelids. This did nothing to soothe the ache behind his eyes, however, and the lids squinted tighter to combat the issue of too much light.

Damn, the ache wasn't just behind his eyes. As he lay on the slightly uncomfortable mattress associated only with hospitals and infirmaries, Zero Kiryuu felt the dull thud of pain in every slow pulse of his heart. It was at the crown of his head, it slid down his spine, clamped over his neck and shoulders-his lower back and ribs especially-before dimming to a dull groan of muscle in his legs. He knew they'd be bruised when he looked later, so he didn't feel quite ready to fast forward that sight. Because his arms would be, he knew, in the same state of discolor, he allowed the crisp thin sheets remain above them.

When at last he had committed the sensation of pain to his hunter instincts, those same instincts began their work in deciphering the scent-still without looking-to give him a good idea of his newest accommodations. He forced himself not to groan at what berated his sensitive nose. He hated hospitals, and he hated that sterile scent even more. Still, he recognized that scent as unique, somehow, and it kept his eyes shut and his body from flinching. He scowled as he recalled the last time he'd been in the infirmary. It happened so often-usually by Yuki's insisting he go-that he could picture every detail in sharp focus. The sight, for obvious reasons, did not give him good memories in the least.

He lay there and the understanding of bone chilling cold against his bare upper chest did make him flinch now. He supposed he'd gotten far too used to waking up next to a warm…very warm body. His face flushed slowly now as his chest welled with the newest of those aches. Vaguely, he wondered where the pureblood prince was, and more importantly why he wasn't there in bed with Zero. He knew it would be asking too much, or making a deal with the devil, but the infirmary-or any hospital really-always made him feel this way. The damn room with its white walls and cold tiled floor always made him feel so small, so lonely, that Yuki's presence usually calmed him. Now, that need for company, which was already extremely reluctant, shifted onto Kaname Kuran…who wasn't there.

That pissed him off. The previous night's activities hadn't bothered to register in his still-bleary mind yet, so Zero didn't bother putting together the pieces of this cruel puzzle. All he knew, besides the bitter cottony dryness of the inside of his mouth, was that Kaname Kuran-essentially his walking, talking space heater-was not there in bed with him. Without knowing exactly why, he felt that knowledge tug at something deep inside him. The feeling pissed him off.

These thoughts-these feelings that were still new to him-faded slowly as his eyes squinted. In the chill of the room, the silence was deafening to his already aching head. Why couldn't Yuki come barging in with her usually annoying speeches about Zero 'taking better care of his health'? He slightly resented that now as he felt the compression of his body on the damn rock hard mattress. Still, he hurt too much to get up. It must have been a really bad mission for him to be this banged up.

He sighed inwardly then, resigning himself to the lumpy mattress for now until he'd collected himself. Whatever drugs they'd given him for the pain, his mind was still foggy. Small bits of memory-things like fire and ice, sharp claws, and red eyes-filled his mind until he could make no sense out of any of it. He gave up and squinted, wincing as a tingling in his palm turned to a slight pain-like a burn-that traveled up the length of his arm. It paused just below his shoulder, above his elbow, and he gritted his teeth. Damn, that hurt… Had a Level-E really gotten him like that?

His eyes squinted again and the heat calmed to the tender warmth he'd dreamt about. It cupped his face in forms resembling hands now and he shifted, body growing sensitive to the memory of warmth holding his face. There was his space heater, he thought with reluctant gratitude. Kaname had come to visit him, to hold him. This thought brought his silver eye lashes to flutter slowly open. His lavender gaze was glassy at first, hazy with sleep as the backs of his eyes ached. He parted his lips and yawned slowly, knowing already that he was far too sore to move if he didn't have to. Kaname wouldn't care.

As his eyes focused, dimmed, and refocused, however, the sharp reality of the situation hit him like the blank color of the ceiling overhead. The lights blazed, and with them, his brain did the same. Flashes of memory, flashes of panic and anger, of pain and desperation...and of loneliness coursed into him, through him, and out of him in such a whirlwind that he could hardly get hold of it. On second thought, Kaname's presence could wait…for how long, his rage wouldn't let him decide at the moment. His memory revealed it, revealed the fiery burn of his crimson eyes in desperation. His gums ached with the memory of savage ivory fangs, dripping blood. He could feel the chill on his fingers be replaced with the fire of blood, of the burn his hand had felt at holding his anti-vampire weapon.

Kaname had left him alone, left him to face those beasts by himself. When, he thought bitterly, forcing himself to sit up. When had he become so dependent on the pureblood's power to protect himself? It had never been his decision to move to the Night Class, it had never been his decision to let himself fall for a pureblood. Hell, he'd let his hate down for a minute… He had trusted Kaname with his burdens for once…and the damn bastard bloodsucker had abandoned him there. The burn at his neck-once a minor ache-intensified now and his eyes shot open wide.

His hands flew up now to cup the tattoo to the left of his neck. What was this sudden pain? What was this all consuming feeling of loss? Panic rose up in him and, ignoring the ache of his body, he stood. The world spun around him, and he teetered there on the balls of his heels a moment. The chill through his dark grey night pants hit him first, and the world tilted. He expected to meet the tiled floor head or ass first...yet it never happened.

Warmth encircled him, and his previously squinting eyes shot wide open in confusion and lingering panic. The intense pulse of pain kept him from fighting it and his body sagged, allowing it to be hoisted up by the mysterious figure now and heaved back onto the bed. He did not fall back to lying in bed, however. He remained grudgingly upright, elbows on his knees and head tilted downward as his eyes twitched, lilac once again. He panted for air, trying to make the spinning stop, trying to erase the loss from his memory. The bastard…the bastard had abandoned him… The world was spinning. Damn, he hurt everywhere! Why wouldn't his mind stick to a topic? The twitching in his eyes broke his concentration, and he had to grimace to keep himself grounded.

His eyes opened slowly a moment later, feeling a stranger's heat come closer and kneel before him and the bed. He blinked, clearing his vision, to glare weakly up into the calm honey eyes of…a human? No, not just a human…a hunter knelt before him, balanced on his heels before Zero, rocking back and forth lazily. That familiar expression was there, that cool cunning that hid behind boyish honey eyes. Anyone would trust that nonchalant gaze, that head of stylishly messy caramel hair around a handsome, strongly angled, face. Those jovial lips were curled into a warm smile of greeting, and there was something tender there. It reflected in the hunter's eyes, and Zero's defenses instinctively dropped.

"Kaito…" His voice didn't come as strongly as he would have hoped, and his lips quivered. His pulse had stopped completely by then, and he paled with shock at the specter that smiled up at him. Slowly, the shock wore off. With no sense of transition, no sense of that old and betrayed emotion, he greeted his childhood friend with a small smile and reached out to graze his fingertips along the strong angles of that pale jaw. Momentarily, at least, he forgot the ache of his body. "I thought you were stationed overseas…"

The humor in those eyes glowed now, and it masked the deeper understanding, the calculation, behind his honey gaze. Kaito, in his relief to find Zero functioning and coherent after three days of painkiller-induced on and off sleep, raised his own hand in that familiar gesture, mapping his friend's jaw as well, his thoughtful touch sending an echo of warmth through him. Appreciation - that was what they called a work of art. Through their years apart, Kaito was more than pleased to find Zero looking so… He searched his mind for the word and settled finally on 'good'. Even battered and bloody, the brat looked good. He'd filled out nicely after they'd sent Kaito off on his own.

"I came back to make sure you didn't get yourself into too much trouble." He smirked at that and allowed his fingertips time to linger over that sensitive flesh, tilting Zero's neck discretely to glimpse the rose mark that had ingrained itself upon-within-Kiryuu Zero's body. He wanted to scowl at the thought-at the knowledge that a bloodsucker had marked one of their own-dragged him down with some sort of spell or otherwise underhanded trick. The fact that it was Zero, his childhood friend, made it worse. "I'll be a student teacher from now on. I decided I wanted to follow in Yagari-Sensei's footsteps."

He watched as this alerted Zero's sharper instincts. Those eyes hardened and the fire in them burned slowly. That hand he'd enjoyed feeling stroke his cheek fell away now and his own paused and did the same, long fingers encircling Zero's chilled hand as it rested on the boy's knee on the hospital bed. "You came to babysit me because you think I'll fall." The statement was matter of fact and blunt as Zero spoke, fists clenching under Kaito's sure touch. "I won't, Kaito… You know I won't."

Because he didn't feel the need to bring up that hidden nuclear missile, Kaito sidestepped it and shook his head. "No, dummy," He wanted to chuckle as he watched Zero's eyes snap towards him and narrow icily. Ah yes, his friend still loathed being considered a child. Being called a 'dummy' was a surefire way to rile him. Ignoring the true intent of his visit, ignoring the fact that he had indeed come to test Zero's stability-as well as protect the boy from the vampire Senate and patrol the grounds in his stead-he continued on easily. "I came to see how you were doing. The Association posted me here."

Zero, against his better judgment, eased slightly at the knowledge and nodded his understanding. Now that it had sunken in-now that he'd been able to see something as solid as Kaito-the pit in his heart darkened again and grabbed him by the ankle, drawing his mind back into that bottomless loneliness. Still, his body didn't ache nearly as much, and he was able to fight the feeling. "It's been too long…" he stated, nearly whispering it now as his fists unclenched. "Kaito…I doubt you WOULDN'T know about last night…"

Kaito froze, expression blank a moment. The gears in his mind cranked steadily behind his calm honey eyes, however, and it clicked. "Zero…" he began slowly, hesitating a moment. He stood to his full height and moved to slowly circle the room, trying to appear as though he were studying the infirmary carefully. He knew Zero's reactions weren't exactly predictable, so it was best not to push it by standing too close. "Zero…you've been out for three days…and yes, the Association had just flown me in by the time I heard about you switching classes… I was there when Yagari and Cross brought you in here…" His eyes did fall this time in true weary concern. "It was bad, Zero…really bad."

Zero nodded his understanding at this and bit his lip in deep concentration, mustering up the energy to ask his next question. "What happened to Kaname after that?" As if realizing he'd messed up, Zero coughed and cleared his throat. "Uh…What happened to the Pureblood?" Right, he thought with a wary glance towards Kaito. He had to think like a hunter again. Everything was suddenly a test, as it had been in their boyhood. Anything could be a trap. Still, the use of that name sent his heart into that throbbing loneliness that he barely kept silenced. Slowly, he let it form a thick layer of resentment-his mind's natural defense against such things.

Kaito blinked slowly and, with wisdom and understanding flooding his eyes, watched Zero's torn expression. Yes, he had no doubt in his mind that Zero had THOUGHT he'd loved Kaname Kuran. Those leeches were surprisingly talented in that aspect. False love, he thought bitterly, biting his lower lip in concentration now. It was like a hot pocket-scorching on the outside and frozen at the core. It was political maneuvering, and purebloods were good at it. He felt sorry for Zero that was a fact. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have felt like for him to fall in love with a pureblood, even after Shizuka Hio had shredded the Kiryuu family into an endangered species. With a weighty sigh, he turned to face Zero head on, ignoring the close scrutiny of the infirmary.

He watched his sudden attentiveness snap Zero into startled sharpness now before he continued, refusing to bite the inside of his lip in nervousness. "He is dealing with his own problems right now, so don't worry about him. Either way, congratulations on being moved back to the Day Class and the Sun Dorm." His smile was weak and they both could see the obvious strain it took to sound jovial about the current state of things. As his words died down, Kaito watched the silence etch slow understanding into Zero's pale face.

The silver haired hunter had yet to have a decent meal, he thought wryly, noting the paler than usual pallor of Zero's cheeks and the dimness in those usually expressive grey-lilac eyes. When Zero didn't move to respond, though, Kaito picked up again, the calculating thoughts hidden again by his honey gaze. "Get showered and dressed. I'll take you to get ramen… That IS still your favorite, isn't it?" He spoke with unease, hoping he'd remembered their childhood clearly.

Zero's expression brightened considerably at the mention of food-human food-especially ramen-and he was on his feet, biting back a hiss of pain at his still sore joints and bruised skin. Yes, he thought bitterly, it was worse than he could have imagined-especially because he could recall what had happened clearly now. The thoughts were unsettling, but he shuddered at the thought of a hot-near scalding-shower.

Even as he turned, however, confusion settled in. Kaito had begun to move now, and the heat of the hunter's body-especially so close-sent his senses into sharp focus. Up close, he could take in all of the changes that had occurred over the years of lost time.

For one, a small part of his mind whispered scandalously, Kaito had never been so…intimidating? Was that the word for it? The man's aura was intense, that was true. Behind that good natured smile, Zero knew how calculating the boy could be from their various training sessions… Now, though, there was something…sensual…intense…thoughtful about those harsh smooth honey orbs and it set Zero's blood on fire. He'd grown more handsome, surpassing Zero greatly in height. Kaito had filled out, and though he was lean, his chest was broad and his shoulders were strong. He carried himself like a hunter in the most primal ways…

As if just realizing his train of thought, and that he'd been staring like an idiot, Zero's eyes widened and he fumbled for the door to the adjoining bathroom. "I'll be out in a-"

Kaito smirked, reaching out with a large hand to halt the arc of the door as he stepped inside the chilly tile of the white room. Now was his chance, he thought as he watched Zero take a step slowly inside-still obviously confused as to his presence in the bathroom. "You can't reach your back in this state. Let me help you so you don't get hurt." He added a smirk at the end, as if to prove how mature he was compared to whatever notions Zero might have come up with.

He wasn't about to admit that he was searching the silver hunter's body for signs of harm from one vampire in particular. "Strip down and wrap a towel around yourself," he stated plainly, sliding the buttons slowly away from their respective holes to reveal the smooth perfection of his pale chest. Yes, his hunter training had prepared him greatly for any situation-good looks were a bonus he used to its fullest extent. His gaze never left Zero as the dark grey fabric of his button up fell to the floor and his fingertips began on his belt.

A hand stopped his as Kaito's rested on the cool metal of the buckle. Zero stared up at him in nothing but a towel, face red and lavender eyes narrowed. Oh yes, Zero was still so sensitive and easily flustered. He'd enjoyed that greatly over the years, he reminisced fondly, his free hand coming up to cover Zero's reassuringly. "Fine, I don't mind my clothes getting wet to help a friend." As if making himself perfectly clear on his intentions was magic, he watched the blush intensity and chuckled lightly as the hand drew away from his. "Get in the tub, dummy, I'll wash your back."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys! Have I ever told you how much I love all of you? I know if you read my tweet that I was supposed to post…be it last night or the night before? Anyways, I'm super sorry! I've had so much going on! I did start typing this yesterday, though…and most of it saved before my computer just quit on me. Sigh. Oh well, I hope you guys enjoy! And remember to vote on the poll for what Zero should be 'convinced' to dress up as for Halloween by our favorite pureblood! Last time I checked, 'Incubus' was in the lead. Remember that I can combine them given a tie, etc. etc.**

**I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I've gotten some really promising reviews from a lot of you. To one in particular…yeah, I kind of slipped up on that part. Zero's instincts wouldn't usually allow him to fall asleep in a room full of vampires, even if he was weakened. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as well!**

Three days he'd waited. He'd done it all, he thought as he stood gazing blankly out past the long windows of his personal study in the Moon Dormitory, a pristine glass of water and two blood tablets in one hand or the other. The sun was setting, and he knew he'd felt everything a mate could feel in the beginning after days of separation. The knowledge hadn't made it any easier the past three days, but he'd at least sensed the silver thread that bound them. If that was still intact, then Zero was still alive. What was more, the glow of it from Zero's end was growing brighter, stronger. Zero was getting better.

As Zero's mate, however, Kaname had run the list of emotion from top to bottom and back again. He'd felt the rage-the all consuming rage-first. That, at least, was beneficial. He'd gotten all of his anger out…granted he'd not vented it in the manner many purebloods and nobles would consider 'proper'. It could have been worse, though. He could have killed all who had been involved. It hadn't escalated to that extent-no-but the thought-having thankfully come after the anger had faded-did sooth something inside him. As he stared out the window, smooth wine red eyes following the sun's brilliant descent beyond the horizon and he felt his memories come back to him steadily.

_His eye twitched. Other than that small imperfection, his face was positively angelic. Thankfully, as he finished writing the report and filing it with the chairman, Kaien Cross did not question Kaname about the dark waves rolling over him. That was probably for the best, he'd decided. Purebloods could handle their courts as they saw fit, and Kaname wouldn't allow it to reach the humans. He couldn't afford to let it, after all. This would be handled in private._

_His hand rested on the doorknob, and his outwardly calm gaze fell now on Cross, whose glasses did little to hide the full extent of worry in his eyes. The man, as was his usual position to think, was seated behind his desk calmly, head bowed and fingers steepled against his lips. He'd taken off the green shawl now, and his blond hair waved slightly along the collar of his shirt. He was-all at once-a father and a hunter. As Kaname watched him from the doorway, over his shoulder, he watched Cross sigh and nod slowly. That was, he knew, the silent ok he'd been seeking. Now neither would be at fault for the casualties._

_Kaname left the office with a clipped and quick stride, trusting Yuki and Yagari to remain at Zero's bedside to see the boy through it and regulate the presence of this…newest development. No, he did not approve of the new hunter watching over Zero. It wasn't a bad feeling, but the friction was already starting, and that was the last complication Kaname needed to be dealing with right now. Did the hunters not realize the importance in a mate remaining by their lover's side in times of injury or distress? Of course they wouldn't. They couldn't._

_He forced himself to grudgingly push that thought aside. He would find away to be there, or at the very least let Zero feel the soothing healing of his presence through the bond. He would handle it at a later time. For now, his hands raised to push open the doors to the classroom where Ichijou had come to wait for his return. There, seated calmly in the desks, however, were the faces that spiked his new anger._

"_Ichijou…" he muttered, voice darkening a few degrees. "I thought I told you to take them back to the dorms…" He forced his fingers not to clench into fists now at his sides. He had to remain calm. This would be his chance to vent his anger properly, he decided at last, daring them with his eyes to argue._

_Takuma, who'd been leaning wearily against the far wall, glanced up in defeat and held up his hands with a shrug. "Kaname-Sama…they refused to leave, and my power alone cannot force them…" The blond, for once, looked truly at a loss for any other explanation or excuse. The tension in the air was showing in his emerald eyes now as he bit his lip, stifling the urge to hide. This was bad-very bad-and he knew it was only a matter of time before it got worse._

_As Kaname spoke, his voice dripped with venom, thick with malice and chilled with lethal intent. "Before I add your refusal to obey my orders to the ever growing list of transgressions tonight, allow me to list them." Before Aidou or Ruka could voice their excuses, Kaname arched a brow and watched them pale and sit back down. He began then. "You have not only harmed Kiryuu Zero, but you have harmed the mate of a pureblood. You have gone against my express orders to leave him in peace and show him respect. You have gone behind MY back in order to fulfill your own agendas… I expressly remember telling you all the same thing. Do not harm my mate…and you could not follow even that simple command."_

_Ruka did stand now, eyes narrowed. She was pushing past her fear of him, willing now to argue their point to their pureblood leader. At that moment, she did have a death wish. She leaned forward over the desk and her eyes flashed unintentionally crimson. She paled, and her perfectly filed fingernails slid into long talons again over the glossy wood of the desktop. Her fangs elongated, and she began to speak. "He is nothing, Lord Kaname. We were doing our duty as your servants and eliminating a pest who dared mark you with his filthy fangs. Surely he has brainwashed you and taken too much blood from you for you to see this. He is a lowly level-D vampire, and he has already attacked one of our own, threatened him, more than once." She didn't expressly feel pity for Hanabusa's loss against Zero, but it helped her case. "Rumors have spread that the Senate sees him this way as well, Lord Kaname…"_

_The room fell silent now, and Hanabusa stood from his seat closest to the door through which Kaname Kuran had entered. His icy blue eyes held the same disdain as Ruka's, plus the wounded pride of knowing he'd been bested by a lower level vampire. "He is a disgrace to the Night Class, Lord Kaname. You have let a hunter toy with you, allowed him to touch you. He could have killed you, Lord Kaname-or betrayed you. He brainwashed you…" Other vampires stood as he spoke, and suddenly he felt no fear. His life flashed before his eyes, but he felt no fear now. Numbness did that to a vampire._

_Kaname had stood silently, listening with growing rage. It hardened now into ice, the glowing embers of it becoming lethally sharp, like daggers of ice. Aidou's power over that element would have shrunk back had Kaname allowed the emotions to freeze everything around him and burn everything at the same time. His eyes narrowed and flickered crimson. They dared bare their fangs and claws at him? They dared to lay a finger on Zero, to use their powers and harm him? It was unforgiveable. The arctic was in his eyes as his own fangs slid out completely, and his own fingers grew sharp talon-like nails as well. He felt his aura putting pressure on the confined space and slowly, he heard Seiren step out and close the doors to keep watch._

_As soon as they clicked shut, Kaname's speed had him in front of Aidou before the blond could blink. His clawed hand came up, cutting off the noble's windpipe as Kaname scowled. His power crackled, and he dared Aidou to argue now. Obviously, arguing would be a very bad idea this late in the game._

_Aidou saw spots. The world shifted and refocused, blurred, and suddenly he saw white with black dots. His vision danced again and righted itself in time for his blue eyes to widen in a mixture of pain and shock. His lips parted in a strangled groan of protest…or maybe a plea? He knew without having to look that there would be bruising there. Despite his ability to heal quickly, the strength of a pureblood left longer-more obvious-affects. In that moment, the boy genius could think of no words-no way to save himself from this impending punishment._

_The fear lessened-barely-and he had a moment of clarity just broad enough to understand the feeling of weightlessness. He was being picked up by the neck, he realized, hands clawing at Kaname's wrist. His feet kicked helplessly, and he figured this must have been what it felt like to be human-to be helpless… He coughed and wheezed, and suddenly he was sent sailing through the air. It lasted only a moment, and it wasn't long before the eruption of pain through his body accompanied the snap and pop of bones as they broke. His vision blackened now and he fell to the floor before the long arching windows of the classroom, unable to gather strength enough to get up. He could taste the metallic tang of his own blood and shuddered now. He could have used his power over ice, had this being been on his level or lower. Even outside of Kaname's grasp, however, that pureblood aura restrained it and his body shut down to heal. Still, he didn't regret what he'd done to Kiryuu Zero. The bastard had deserved it._

_Kaname turned calmly from Aidou, ignoring the boy as soon as he knew the noble wouldn't attempt to argue with him. His eyes were still red now as they focused on Ruka. He took a step forward and watched her pale. She was about to argue, even as his hand raised. He didn't wait to hear her plea, however, and the sharp smack sent her body twisting awkwardly around. He watched the blood trickle from her lip even as the bruise blossomed across her pale face. Again, it was an injury that would remain quite a while._

_Ruka had tried to scramble, tried to flail for any sort of hand hold to right herself, but the momentum of the smack had numbed her entire body as her vision exploded into stars. She was falling faster now, and the rest of the nobles had stepped out of her way. Her heart had stopped in her chest by now, and she scooted slowly away, not daring to face that fiery anger anymore. Kaname had made his point._

_The pureblood stood in silence then, hand still rose, as his eyes righted themselves to that usual vermillion color. His fangs slid back slowly now, and he cleared his throat. "Your cheekbone will heal slowly, and Hanabusa will recover as well. Should you chose to disobey me again, you know the penalties." He could have killed them. Hell, he'd had a right to, didn't he? He was a pureblood, and they had gone against him and harmed his mate. That was technically two strikes against them. Luckily, though, he was feeling merciful after having vented most of his anger. He turned on his heel and the nobles to that side of the room backed away, leaving Kain sitting where he had been the entire time._

"_Zero had burns on his hand." His voice was still icily low. "Besides the current punishment, you will help Hanabusa and Ruka clean. The three of you will be given an extended probation period, due to your express involvement in the matter." Fortunately, Kain was at least smart enough to stand, bow, and agree promptly. "All of you will go back to the dorms for now."_

_The silence in the room remained for a split second, the students shifting from foot to foot nervously. He could hear Aidou's pained groan as Kain helped him up, watching from the corner of his eye as Rima and Shiki helped Ruka to stand as well. They said nothing, and Takuma, knowing he too was included in this punishment, led them back without even the hint of a smile._

_As for Kaname...he wandered aimlessly for a long while, desperate worry overruling his anger now. He found himself, eventually, at the door to his office, though the trip from the school to the dorm was blurry at best in his memory. He let the door close behind him and, drifting still, wandered towards the settee he'd begun to enjoy lounging on. Now, though, it left him lost in thought the moment he flopped down onto it, one arm over his eyes. With Zero still out, he had only the knowledge that his mate was safe and, slowly, recovering. He couldn't tap into the boy's mind, not while he was struggling to heal, though he did send waves of his own power down that silver cord even as his mind faded into a restless sleep._

Three days he'd gone without Zero. Three days had passed, and the tension in his body grew and grew. Only updates via Yuki and the chairman kept his panic at bay now. They had-Yagari, Cross, Yuki, and Kaito-decided it best to keep the two separate, and that was the part that had peaked his anger higher and higher with each passing day. The Night Class had felt it. With their own punishments, their leader's moodiness was felt unanimously, and by the third day the Moon Dormitory was a very…unpleasant place to be.

As he stood silently at the window, he could hear Seiren shifting behind him. The usually stoic bodyguard had tried hard to remain unaffected by the whole ordeal, but he knew better. She was uneasy. Unlike the rest of the Night Class, Seiren had been open with her displeasure at the ordeal, though she had voiced her opinion calmly to Kaname in the nights following the ordeal.

"_Lord Kaname," The calm voice snapped his attention up from the stacks and stacks of paperwork that had begun to accumulate across the expanse of his smooth mahogany desk. His chin, propped now on his hand, rose as he blinked in subtle surprise. His anger was gone now. He was far too tired, between dealing with the Senate, giving power to Zero, and being angry at Hanabusa, Ruka, and Kain. He simply stared dead ahead at Seiren, whose matter of fact eyes rested on him without a hint of fear._

"_What is it?" he asked, arching a brow when she waited for his permission to speak. "What has you out of classes?"_

_In that calmly unattached way Seiren had perfected, she blinked and shifted her weight, hands at her sides without even the slightest rustle of her white school uniform. As she spoke, her voice was flat. "Lord Kaname, I trust you. I do not approve of this-not at all…but I trust you. I will defend your decisions, whatever they may be. I wish only for you to not worry. You are frightening the nobles."_

_He supposed it was her blatant lack of fear that amused him so. Perhaps it had been her direct stare. Whatever it was, his head lifted and his eyes lightened, allowing the chill to thaw slowly. He could respect that, he thought calmly. He trusted Seiren. "I know," was his only response as he sat back in his chair, steepling his long fingers in front of his lips. It was a moment before he spoke again, and this time his aura flickered with hope. "Watch over him, Seiren. When I am unable to be near him, I need you to stay watchful of him. Also…I want you to find as much information as you can on this Kaito… I don't know what to make of him yet."_

_Seiren watched the jealous worry flicker in her leader's dark eyes and nodded pointedly. She might not have approved, but she had seen the change that had come over Kaname after Zero's arrival into his bed, and eventually his heart. The boy was good for him, and she'd heard the same story as they all had about the Kiryuu family's bitter destruction. He wasn't a pureblood, this Zero Kiryuu, but he was strong. For a level-D vampire, he seemed the best choice. A strong ruler required just as strong a mate to be at his side. It was this knowledge that had her bowing. "Yes, Lord Kaname."_

_It didn't take long, but Kaname watched her go in that clipped, brisk way that was unique in the vampire world. It wasn't hurried, though it was brisk. No matter the time, place, or problem, Seiren was never in a hurry, never being rushed. She was practical, and as sturdy as a rock. She was the only one he could trust with Zero's safety now._

His level gaze stared blankly-unseeingly-out the window as his hands folded behind his back. Zero was awake. He'd felt the spark-the connection-light up like a Christmas tree, and it relieved something deep inside his heart. The tension melted from him, and he turned from the window and to his door. He was determined to meet Zero now, despite Kaito's adamant statement. Hunters-not including Zero-failed to scare him on any level. Besides, his forced distance from Zero only applied to school grounds.

"They went into town for Ramen?" His gaze shifted towards Seiren, who stood stoically at his side in the fading golden light of the sun. Over the past three days, he had heard Seiren's reports. He had listened to Seiren each time, hearing how Kaito had refused to leave Zero's side as the boy healed. He had heard her tell of the whispered recollections of past memories, in hopes of bringing Zero around. The fact that Zero and Kaito had gone out for Ramen didn't surprise him as much after that. Over and over, he had to convince himself that the new hunter was and had always been just a friend-another pupil under Yagari Toga. He had become knowledgeable on Zero's shared past with this new student teacher, and as far as he could tell, they'd both been fairly close-though not romantically…right?

Seiren nodded her confirmation and held out the sheet of crisply folded notebook paper on which an address was neatly scrawled. "This is the address of the ramen shop. They left minutes ago. Will we be accompanying them, Lord Kaname?" Like she had to ask… She watched Kaname turn on his heel and gather his coat. Apparently that was a very big yes…

**Well guys, I hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if you didn't like the Kaname angry-face scene, but I got a review that wasn't too thrilled with a simple 'grounding'. Anyways, the next chapter is the usual combined chapter, and I'll weave you a magical tale…sort of… It'll just be Kaname, Seiren, Kaito, and Zero at the Ramen Shop… Ah, the drama… Well, till next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! I know, I know, I'm late on updating. Sorry! It's been super busy! I love all of you though, I really do! Your reviews got me through this entire weekend and half the week…yes, it's been that long. Anyways, here it is! This is the chapter where…*insert angsty music* Kaname goes out to the Ramen shop. Enjoy!**

**Oh, and remember the poll! I'm going to write a Halloween fic with Kaname and Zero, and I want to know what you should have me have Kaname-Sama force…ah…BRIBE Zero into wearing.**

The evening air was brisk, and Zero had to force himself not to flinch at the gusts of chilly wind against his still unsteady body. His gloved fingers yanked his dark grey pea coat closer to his chest now as he hunched into the kiss of chilly wind. It tossed and whipped his silver bangs against his sensitive cheeks, and he was none too pleased about it. There was something about the cold that made him resent it. Perhaps he'd become far too accustomed to that natural body heat he'd shared with Kaname.

He had to shake his head furiously at this, warding off the beginnings of the all too familiar picture of Kaname's handsome face, his bedroom eyes, and the soft wave of that silky dark hair over alabaster skin. His body gave a lurch of pure need at that and he winced, trying to remind himself of the abandonment he'd suffered at that bastard's hands. It worked…for a split second. He was back to picturing those sensual lips, so full and soft-so hungry. He remembered, though he didn't want to, the way they devoured him, inch by agonizing inch, and how often they brought about that peak of pleasure in him.

The first chance he could, he slammed that wall of bitter anger back into place between him and that nagging feeling of…loss? No, that wasn't loss he told himself. It couldn't be loss. They had shared passion, anger, and mutual need, but he refused to acknowledge any loss akin to that of lovers. They WEREN'T lovers, he hissed internally, feeling his already aching chest give a throb of painful disagreement. He coughed, and the uncontrolled fit cleared his mind-momentarily-of the pureblood.

Three days. He had been out for three days, he thought as he covered his mouth with the black leather of his gloved palm. Perhaps a brisk walk through town in fall had been a poor decision. Still, the crisp air had cleared his mind, at least momentarily. The infirmary, as with most hospital facilities, had been stifling in its medical-sterile-scent. He supposed he felt better than he COULD have, though, and ignored the tingle in his neck. It had only intensified in his restless sleep and every muscle still ached. He was, however, up and moving about now. With his anti-vampire weapon back securely at his hip, he'd been striding leisurely behind Kaito, who had been considerate enough to slow and match his still wobbly pace.

Now, though, as he bent forward, bracing himself with a hand on his knee, the other over his mouth, he was grateful Kaito had slowed enough to take notice. The hand on his back was large and soothing as it drew broad circles, easing the fit long enough for Zero to inhale a deeply greedy breathe of autumn air. The breath was sweet, chilly in his aching throat, and it momentarily righted the parched-sandpaper-feeling inside his mouth. When he was sure he was fine, he shot Kaito a rare look of gratitude and stood at his full height, though he relied heavily on a nearby building front to support most of his weight now.

At any other time, he might have argued over the hand still positioned calmly around his waist. At that moment, however, as the world began to tilt at awkward angles and distort before his still bleary vision, he felt himself leaning against Kaito's black cloaked chest. As if just then noticing the change in his childhood friend and classmate, Zero's forehead rested on the broad chest. Kaito had filed out, grown taller, and what had Zero done?

He might have been a top shot, but he wasn't extremely tall or strong like Kaito, and he supposed there was a core of friendly envy in him over that. It wasn't malicious, and he was actually happy for the boy. Still, he was grateful for the support, nearly melting as the heat of Kaito's large grey gloved hand continued to pat and rub his back soothingly. Ah, that was a gesture not even Kaname had bothered to rely on.

The strange part was, he realized, forgetting for a moment that he was still leaning on his fellow hunter, fingers clinging tight to the black front of Kaito's jacket, was that the gesture held no intimate appeal-no passion. It was a gesture he might have offered Ichiru in their youth. It was meant to provide comfort and mutual strength, and the beast inside him-the one whose hackles were constantly on the rise-eased. Thirst-what thirst? For once, he could forget that he was free falling into an oblivion he didn't care to dwell on.

Things in his mind went silent then-peaceful-and he waited a beat to pull away again, still with his gloved hands braced against Kaito's broad chest for support. He stared up into those bright amber eyes now and smiled-albeit weakly-at his friend. He felt sturdier somehow, and calmer. "I'm fine," he managed, feeling his throat still inhaling deep greedy gulps of air-though at a normal rate now. In the silence, he'd begun to focus on their hearts. They were beating steadily, and the sound was the only constant he seemed to focus on. It was, like Kaito himself, sturdy-strong.

Here it came, he thought with bitterness. He'd begun to improve his ability to notice the impending thoughts before they could materialize. And, as per usual-the images flashing through his mind were of Pureblood eyes, of soft lips, of a voice so rich and dark it could pass for warm dark chocolate, and of hands. Oh yeah, those hands were talented indeed. Each finger had found its own unique method of pleasuring him, and the effect was mind numbing. Those hands-like pianist hands-were smooth and practiced, deliberate in the easy sort of grace that could only be described as animal.

He gave a shudder at that, recalling-in a brilliant white flash of insight-every single thing those hands had done to him. Those brilliantly dark eyes-like a predator-had smirked at him, aroused him, and devoured him, as those sinfully deliberate lips had done oh so many times. His breathing hitched at that and he pursed his lips tight together, fingers gripping Kaito's jacket again in a death grip that clenched the leather of his black gloves.

No, he thought, pushing back against the memories. No, he couldn't let himself dwell on those times. His expression fell slightly at that and he heaved a sigh, grateful that Kaito seemed to understand in that sharply empathetic way that linked them as comrades-as brothers. When his fellow hunter said nothing, he drifted back into internal thoughts long enough to ignore the various dull aches that cramped and strained muscles in him that he'd never known he had until waking. His violet eyes began to ache, and thus he let them flutter slowly shut to block out the dim overcast rays of sunlight. The wind, still intent on berating his pale face with his silver bangs, had eased some, as if feeling his pain.

He had to remember the fact that Kaname had walked away-had abandoned him. He'd seen the impending threat-they both had! They'd seen it the moment that door opened and he'd been led down into the vampire Nobles of the Moon Dorm. Kaname had sensed it-he MUST have sensed it. Why hadn't he reacted? Why hadn't Kaname rushed back to defend him? It couldn't have happened that quickly-to render a Pureblood's senses too slow to react. Or…had Kaname decided he wouldn't act? His heart lurched at the thought and the corners of his eyes stung slightly. He fought it back and leaned into the warmth of the gloved hand that cupped his cheek.

Kaito was nothing like Kaname. Kaito would have rushed to save him, would have fought to get to him in time. Zero would have done the same, naturally, and that was what confused Zero. Hadn't they shared their bodies? Had they not shared blood? His neck began to ache with a sharper pain now and he cursed. Had something happened in that pit of lost memories? Those doubts lent themselves to darker thoughts now. Kaname's heart had always been faster, had always been strong and dominant, like the crest and fall of choppy waves. There had been no peacefulness in that heartbeat. Lovers were peaceful around one another, weren't they? His heart and Kaito's were steady, they mingled and blended well.

Why couldn't he feel those feelings for Kaito, then? A glance upward told him Kaito was worrying about him, and this brought on a weak smile. "Sorry," he managed, swallowing back the sudden rush of emotions. Whatever he'd done to his neck, it must have affected his head. Whenever it began to ache, his head filled with thoughts of Kaname. His weak smile was a bit stronger now as he pushed off to stand on his own, feeling Kaito's hold around his waist ease slightly.

Kaito blinked, and his thoughtful frown etched itself stronger into his lips as he studied Zero. He knew already-hell, it wasn't that difficult to read Zero (it never had been)-knew what emotion lingered there in his comrade-his brother. His thoughtful frown found itself a somber smile now as he brushed back silver bangs from Zero's eyes.

His friend had lovely eyes-so fiery and intense. Those were the eyes he could always count on to get him through a crisis. If eyes really were the windows to the soul, then Zero had very clear windows. Behind the constant intensity, the constant moodiness, he could see that innocence. It was a vulnerability that was timeless, something bearing the scars by that pureblood witch. He pitied Zero, and his heart ached for him. He was no fool. He knew the recent absence of Kaname to help Zero at his weakest point had brought up those scars again-made him doubt-and it made Kaito wonder about everything.

Kaito had not met the vampire before that night. Hell, he'd only ever read the bio and heard the rumors. His instinct as a hunter, however, had made him distrustful from the start. He had a general dislike for the beasts. After not seeing Zero in so long and understanding that vampires had harmed the silver haired boy, he supposed he might have acted brashly in his initial meeting with Kaname Kuran. A hunter protected one of their own, didn't they? He'd done the right thing, had he not? It would work out in the long run, and Zero would heal from this, as he'd healed from Shizuka-hopefully faster.

This wasn't love; he thought bitterly, pity guiding his hands to continue holding Zero. What his friend felt for the pureblood was a craft created by the purebloods. He was looking out for Zero's best interests, wasn't he? He had to shove away the doubt that welled inside him at seeing the utter look of hurt in those violet eyes.

Yes, he knew about the mark. He'd never seen it before between a hunter and a vampire, but he knew what it was. He also knew how it worked. Zero naturally would feel the need to seek out Kaname again, to be close…but that would fade-it would pass. He had to rationalize it, and found himself blaming the steady decline of Zero's strength to the injuries. He'd heard rumors that a mate's health could decline after a few days without their significant other in the beginning, when the wound (like a new tattoo) was still sensitive and tender. Surely there had to be a way to break the link before either got too attached and Zero got too hurt by it?

The chill in the air tousled his sandy hair and he blinked, coming back to himself. Zero was tugging on his jacket sleeve. He blinked a few times, slowly, and stared in question. Had Zero asked him a question? The silver haired hunter looked worried.

"Hey," Zero sighed, tugging harder. Kaito had always had a way of staring off into space for long periods of time, but this was ridiculous. Why was he spacing out? Zero shivered, gritting his teeth. It was getting too cold to stand around, and someone was bound to walk by and get the wrong idea. "Are we going to get Ramen or not?" He straightened, quite proud that he was standing on his own. The ache in his neck was easing slightly, and it was being replaced with a soft tingle. He'd long since stopped worrying about the situation with Kaname. His stomach was rumbling, after all, and he worried on an empty stomach. "Hurry or I'll order seven bowls and make you pay for all of it!"

Kaito blinked in confusion again and shook his head, a tentative smile gracing his lips. There it was-that spark of the old Kiryuu Zero he'd missed so much. He pushed side his earlier concern and patted the boy on the head like a grownup who was amused by the actions of a child. Ah, he hadn't changed. "Come on, come on." No, he thought, he would stick to the plan and keep the two separate, for Zero's own good. Being with Kaname seemed to do more hurt than help, after all.

It seemed to take a moment for him to move, and Kaito sighed heavily. Ah, the famous Kiryuu glare had yet to change. "I see you still enjoy ramen in this…state, Zero." He smiled, and it was a weak smile now as he stepped slowly away from his fellow hunter, making sure Zero could stand on his own before turning. "Take my hand so you don't get lost or collapse in the middle of the street. We're lucky there aren't that many people out today." It was, he thought with bitter amusement, quite chilly this afternoon. No one was around to observe them.

Zero, violet eyes narrowed in slight annoyance, punched his caretaker in the arm lightly and took Kaito's larger hand in his smaller one. The warmth was reassuring, and it was something sturdy-something that could ground him if those thoughts cropped up again. In this rare moment of calm, however, the chill had wasted no time in making itself known. They'd been standing out there for quite a while-a truth he realized only by glancing at the ever darkening horizon above the tops of ancient buildings. Had it not just been early sunset when they'd left for the Ramen shop? He tried to ignore the childish urge to hurry, in hopes of catching that day's specialty. He supposed that Ramen, after Kaname and blood, was his favorite pastime. At the very least, it calmed him.

… … …

Kaname Kuran could feel it even before his dark eyes fell silently on the two lone figures standing half a block away. The sunset with its gentle golden hues had cast the two into dim shadows, stretching them out across the cobblestone in exaggerated outlines. One, the taller one, with broad shoulders and dressed in black, stood with his arms around the slender waist of the other. This taller figure, with the dark blond hair and the calm honey gaze, was smiling angelically, though those soft eyes remained watchful all the same. Still, Kaname was a pureblood. The act of going unnoticed was not a new concept, and this young hunter had obviously missed that small detail.

His calm vermillion gaze fell onto the silver haired teen now. He felt his heart lurch even as his eyes widened in open shock. The mark at his neck throbbed and something new coursed through him. Was that jealousy? No, he thought bitterly, Purebloods didn't GET jealous. That was immature. Still, his heart kept throbbing, and the pit of his stomach felt hollow.

As if it hadn't been enough for this foolish new hunter to demand Kaname stay away from Zero-from HIS mate-the man, this Kaito boy, had the nerve to touch what was his. His fingers curled at his sides beneath black leather gloves, and the ever present autumn breeze took on an almost painful chill now. It whipped his wavy dark bangs and put color in his pale cheeks, yet his sharp dark eyes remained unobscured as they locked on the expressions on those two faces.

Behind him, he listened to the silent footfalls ghosting over pavement. Seiren was moving, and he was about to wonder why when her calm hand came down firmly-bravely-upon his broad shoulder. He flinched inwardly, yet outwardly his rigid posture did not change. He could feel that grip tightening-not in threat but as a means to calm-and he had to admit that it was working…slowly. His fists unclenched, and he glanced back over his shoulder with a wounded and open expression, unable to hide the pain in his eyes, though his lips remained tightly pursed. The fact that Seiren's patient gaze was so calm had taken away any anger he might have had…and now there was nothing…nothing but anguish.

"Go to him." That calm voice, that ever steady rock, hummed in his ears and snapped his mind abruptly back to attention, though his neck still throbbed with the ghost of an ache. It seemed being closer to his hunter had that affect, and it slightly amazed him. He had never seen the affects of this sort of mating with his own eyes before. "The hunter, Kaito, is human, and you are pureblood, Kaname-Sama. If you truly desire Kiryuu-Kun as your mate, then go to him."

His jaw clenched at that and his spine straightened momentarily. Yes, that was an easy thing to say-especially for Seiren-who had nothing much to lose from any of this. As for himself, however, the thought of confronting the hunter in public raised the hairs at the back of his neck. His hackles rose again and his eyes, partially hidden behind waves of dark hair, narrowed in contemplation. Yes, he could confront them on the street, but that was far too undignified. At the very least, Kaname wanted to save his pride. Still, after realizing Seiren wasn't about to give up, he nodded pointedly and glanced back. The figures were moving now, walking into the dim golden glow of the sunset.

He had obviously gone unnoticed, he thought as his fingertips grazed the sensitive expanse of his pale neck. That was good, for now. He would simply have to 'run into' them at the Ramen shop. He sighed inwardly at that. Human food was…interesting, to say the least, and the many different flavors always impressed him. Ramen, however, seemed to strike him as odd. Was that not what poor humans ate? Why would Zero enjoy it? Yet another oddity, he thought, smirking thoughtfully. His feet were moving now, and he remained standing tall against the wind, hands in the pockets of his black coat. The Ramen shop wasn't too far from here.

… … …

Zero's mouth watered, though he remained stoically at Kaito's side as he scanned the sandwich board outside the shop. Yes, he thought with inward glee, the specials for that day hadn't changed. On any other day, he might have simply shrugged and taken his usual seat at the Ramen shop. However, it had been a little over a month since he'd had this homemade Ramen. He had missed it, had missed the one true link any living being could have with humanity-food.

He stepped forward first, brushing past the low hanging blue cloth that separated the outside world from the shop. His hand still held Kaito's now as he mounted a stool and nodded his usual silent greeting to the man behind the counter. Obviously the shop owner had thought him dead, because the man's eyes widened in an almost comical show of surprise. It went away quickly after that, and he watched the man smile back. Yes, it was obvious the owner still understood him. He watched the man begin to fix that day's special and ignored the bemused smirk Kaito was giving him.

Kaito, pleased at the presence of a potentially healthy appetite in his friend, ordered the special as well and leaned his elbows on the weathered dusty wood counter. The place was old-like everything in the strange town-and he was pleased to find Zero was at home there. Even in childhood, even before the attack to the Kiryuu family, Zero had been a serious person, diligent and committed to his future job as a hunter under Yagari. He remembered respecting the boy, though the five year difference had made it a very odd feeling. He'd not often respected someone younger than himself till then. Even as a child, he recalled the restlessness in Zero.

Now, though, seated at a small shop on a wooden stool, leaning on the counter, Kaito could feel the quaint atmosphere that must have calmed his friend's often fidgety coldness. Yes, Zero had changed quite a bite since their last encounter…though in some ways the boy had improved. That feeling of peaceful happiness must have shown in his eyes, because things seemed to brighten…until the shadows of a pureblood aura fell upon them and the cloth over the door behind them swished.

He heard the steady footsteps approaching over the aged wood floor and his spine stiffened. There were two, one pureblood, the other-if he gauged it right-a noble. His gaze sharpened and he closed his eyes slowly, hand reaching instinctively into his jacket for the weapon he carried, though he didn't move to pull it, not yet. He glanced to the side then, taking in Zero's expression. He had expected the boy to react quickly as well, to pull his weapon and scowl, perhaps even growl a bit, as he remembered the boy had done on so many occasions.

Now, though, Zero sat silently on the stool, posture perfect as his hand grazed the sensitive new mark where the tattoo had once been etched. Those lilac eyes were wide and intense, sharper than he remembered. The paleness of that expression had grown color now, and the change was…unnerving. More than that, though, the mixture of pain, longing, sorrow, and need that swirled behind that expression and in those eyes startled him greatly.

"Kuran Kaname, was I not clear before?" He did turn now, noticing the distinct stillness of Zero's body. The younger hunter wasn't going to turn and face the pureblood? In a snap decision, he shifted and stood to face the vampire, eye to eye as he angled himself between Kaname and Zero. "You were to remain away from Kiryuu-"

A hand came up, long pale fingers ceasing his speech with a deft and careless gesture. The vampire prince's deep voice carried on now with a hint of knowing in it, and Kaito watched as Kuran arched one fine dark brow in…victory? "You stated in your formal report that I was to not make contact with the injured party on school grounds. Now that he is awake and now that we are both outside of the Academy, I do not believe it is valid."

As if the depth of that silky voice flicked a switch inside him, Zero finally turned and, on shaky legs, stood to glance at Kaname past Kaito's broad shoulder, violet eyes wide with shock. What was Kaname doing at a Ramen shop? His hand found his neck again and he winced. What the hell had he pinched to make it ache so badly all of a sudden? He barely comprehended the words as his body focused on the emotion. Each wave of the threatening aura that went from Kaname to Kaito seemed to make the sensitive area pulse and ache more intensely.

His hand dropped slowly when realization dawned on him. Kaname was watching him with burning wine colored eyes, and damn it all, something told him that that possessive vampire aura had reared its shady head in the pureblood. That was the only reason Kaname could have for coming into town. His hand reached slowly for his weapon now as well, and his feet moved instinctively to place himself beside Kaito. A glance up at his friend's worried gaze brought a reassuring smile from Zero. "I'm better, so stop worrying." He watched Kaito shift a moment and bite his lip before nodding reluctantly in response.

… … …

Kaname's dark gaze didn't fail to miss the light wince or the hand that covered his mate's mark. Had Zero bothered to look into a mirror after waking, he wondered. By now, the rose tattoo was intricate and lined with sharply precise dark lines. He knew his own mimicked it without looking, though he'd had the foresight to wear a tight black turtleneck, just in case Zero had yet to notice the mark's presence himself.

He stood now in the shop, posture perfect, and blinked slowly. He was a bit taller than Kaito, and his shoulders were slightly broader. Even without his pureblood strength, he was certain he could take the man in a hand to hand conflict. Having Seiren standing silently behind him, her flat gaze watching intently, helped. As it was, he had begun to smirk now. Yes, he could feel Zero's unease, could feel his mix of emotions, and that urge to claim had succeeded in shutting up the part of his mind that worried like made about the hunter. If he could simply hold Zero again, he would be fine. If he could touch the boy, taste him, hold him, and promise him he would protect him, then he knew it would be enough. Sure, his mate would be stubborn at first. He wasn't fool enough to think Zero would let him go without a few curses and some arguing, but he was a pureblood, and purebloods always got their way-HE always got HIS way. Zero would understand.

Currently, however, the presence of a very large threat to his love life stood like a guardian beside Zero. Honestly, he was finding it difficult to read the hunter's expression. There was fondness, protectiveness, and true tenderness there each time he watched Kaito's gaze slide down to Zero. Having rarely felt these emotions himself, it put him on edge and he clenched his jaw. "I will not pick a fight, if that is what you are looking for. I simply came to see the progress for my own eyes."

He ignored Kaito. Bluntly, and he knew it was foolish, he ignored Kaito and strode briskly until he was close enough to his mate to hear the steady thump of his heart. Yes, he thought, recalling the positive reports Seiren had given him. Zero was healing, albeit slowly. Still, he appeared quite ravenous. No mere bowl of Ramen would fix that, he told himself in slight amusement, drawing a contemplative finger over the soft pale expanse of chilled skin at Zero's cheek, feeling the boy flinch instinctively. This seemed to snap Kaname back into reality quickly now.

… … …

Anger bubbled up. Without warning, and without build up, it burst forth and Zero glared icy daggers up at Kaname. He wasted no time in slapping away the all-too knowing warmth of that hand. Besides the clatter of the shop owner in the kitchen preparing food, the three of them stood in silence, alone in the front of the shop. For a moment, he said nothing, and he watched Kaname's wide eyes level.

The bastard had the nerve to come in and treat him like property after leaving him to nearly be killed? The least the pureblood bastard could have done was visit or write. He wasn't a damn toy, he wasn't breakable and he refused to be put down and picked back up whenever it was convenient for Kaname Kuran. That didn't include the fact that he'd begun to blame the ache in his neck on the taller man as well. After all, he knew it had to have something to do with the gap in his memory. He could feel the ivory of his fangs aching against his gums as they elongated angrily.

Well, he thought bitterly, there went his appetite. The worst part was that he'd been contemplating forgiving Kaname for leaving him there. After all, the vampire had his own job to do, and sometimes, that required privacy. That pending forgiveness had shattered the moment that possessive jerk had dared look at him like a ting, like a TOY. He snarled, grateful the shop owner couldn't hear them from the loud banging and clanging in the kitchen. As his long pale fingers came to rest on the trigger of his anti-vampire weapon, he knew this was escalating far too quickly. "Patient?" he growled, eye twitching. Was that what he was called? "I have a name, you know."

There it was he thought with an inward growl of hostility. There was that look of triumph. He glared at the raised hand and dared it to touch his cheek or pet him like an animal again. Instinctively, his body moved towards the nearest source of protection and strength-which happened to be Kaito.

In response to this, Kaito blinked and studied Zero. Well, at least he didn't have to worry about the boy taking Kaname's side. Not knowing how long that might last, however, he sighed and his grip on the weapon eased. Clearly Zero wasn't about to let himself be swept off so easily. Perhaps the mark WOULD break on its own. He hoped.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted in so long! Not only have I had school projects and essays, I've also had some small family emergencies to deal with. I'm hoping all is well, though. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And no, because I had one or two of you express this concern, Zero won't let Kaname treat him like a toy. The hunter will make his stand…even if his stubbornness gets him hurt-uh...I mean…into trouble. There was a spoiler in there for you crafty people! Also, I haven't decided whether or not to put intentional romance in there between Kaito and Zero, or if it should just be a misunderstanding on Kaname's part. Anyways, I'm going to try and update regularly again, now that grades have closed for the first quarter.**

**Also, don't forget to vote on the Halloween Zero/Kaname story poll and find me on twitter. My name whatnot is posted on my bio…because I forget it already, and I'm going to try to keep you all posted that way. Besides that, I'm super excited! I got accepted into a really great college for next year!**

The atmosphere in the ramen shop was tense, and that was sugar coating it…heavily. As he sat at the counter with his bowl of ramen, hunching over the steamy broth-as if it would exclude him from this very awkward situation-he prodded tentatively at the noodles he usually thoroughly enjoyed with the tip of his chop sticks. His free hand cupped and held his cheek as he slumped, elbow leaning hard against the counter top now. He'd placed Kaito there between himself and Kaname on the stools, at least…though the sense that the pureblood was watching him set his body into tense fits of tingling. He doubted there was any barrier thick enough to block that tingle of Kaname left at his neck.

Kaito, who sat beside him, had begun to-once again-lean on the counter in that nonchalant way he had perfected, looking all at once casual and sharply alert. His honey irises were keenly sharpened now as he stole glances from side to side, reading the conflict between the two via their posture. What he saw worried him and eased his nerves-again all at once.

He noted the way Kuran's jaw clenched and unclenched slowly, watched the subtle shift of the Pureblood's fist tightening and loosening at the bend of his elbow in the cloth of his overcoat. Yes, Zero's defiance had thrown him through a slight loop, and it reflected in the deep concentration in the burgundy gaze that fixated straight ahead-as if trying to put holes in the wall behind the counter. Kaito didn't doubt the vampire-in his current state of surprised anger-could do just that, so he wisely kept himself from voicing this thought. Even a hunter knew when to shut up…unless they were Zero, of course.

Speaking of the silverette, Kaito's gaze shifted and the honey irises warmed to something fond. He had known the boy for a long time now-years maybe-and it was a sight to see-watching Zero pick at his noodles stubbornly. He knew, after so long observing-that that was what the younger hunter tended to do when he was nervous or angry-or otherwise distraught. He picked, he fiddled, and he sulked. That was how he read the depth of Zero's reaction towards the vampire's sudden appearance that afternoon, at least. It must have been a very strong mark, in order to affect Zero so drastically. No longer was his friend simply acting in defiance. He had let a vampire jostle him and render him silent.

A closer look told Kaito more…far more, in fact. Zero appeared smaller now, more vulnerable, as he leaned heavily against the counter and over his ramen. Still, he had to give the hunter credit for his attempt at normalcy. Zero's wounds hurt-each one aching individually with its own dull throb, as if having gone toe to toe with a particularly strong level-E. Kaito could gauge that without having to study his friend. Those lavender eyes were doing a fair enough job of hiding that much, though he could see the slight wince at the subtle shift of his friend's body on the stool. With every shift, however, he noted the unconscious way Zero would glance across the space at Kaname.

In response-probably feeling it through the mark, the pureblood would glance up with concerned burgundy irises and move on instinct to go to Zero. This, of course, was something Kaito wouldn't allow-especially outside the school. Zero was on his way to recovery just fine without the damn leech, and he was thoroughly convinced Kaname Kuran's affection was an act-it had to be. No vampire was that sentimental towards a hunter. Like hell he would let the boy put himself through more hurt…

… … …

Kaname had begun to grit his teeth silently on the opposite side of Kaito from Zero. This new hunter was proving to be a very…annoying barrier, and it helped nothing to know how badly he'd just screwed up. He should have anticipated Zero's anger at being referred to as a 'patient', at being coddled. After all, it was in the hunter's nature, and the boy had struck out like a wounded and desperate animal. Did Zero really think he was being treated like a toy? With nothing to go by, Kaname didn't think so-or at least thought he was in the right here. Still, his mark ached stronger now, almost painfully, under the neck of his shirt. It was as if all of his mate's wounded pride was filtering into him via their mark, and damn it hurt. He winced lightly and turned to the bowl of ramen he'd ordered.

Humans ate such…interesting food, he thought with a sigh, maneuvering the chopsticks easily in his long fingers to gather up some noodles. Bringing them to his lips, as he'd watched Zero and Kaito do, he began to slowly eat, testing the flavor curiously. Seiren, he noted with confusion, was studying him with a slightly tilted head. She, with Zero's obviously reluctant approval, had taken her place beside him, flanking him opposite Kaito…and successfully trapping Zero in.

Meanwhile the shop owner, he thought with mild amusement, was somewhere in the back, obviously noting the tension of the shop's patrons. Humans might not have understood the tension, but they felt it in their bones…which was convenient enough for him as he turned now, ignoring Kaito, to stand and move towards the stool on which Zero was perched. He did so without making any sort of noise, and it obviously startled Kaito, who shifted quickly to glare at him. Still, he was up and moving faster than Kaito could react while sitting on a stool. Their marks sizzled and began to tingle now as he closed the distance, bringing his arms to wrap around Zero's waist from behind and hold him silently, lips brushing against Zero's mark.

Even as he did so, he felt the fiery displeasure in Kaito's scowl and had felt the obvious flinch of Zero's body in reaction to his touch. Mixed emotions, he thought as he peaked into their bond. Zero wanted to hate him, wanted to distrust him…but the position felt so right, and he felt so safe. Encouragingly, Kaname pressed a soft kiss to Zero's cheek and knew instantly that those pale cheeks had begun to darken. "I'm sorry, Zero. Will you let me make it up to you?"

Before he could continue, before he could convince his mate, a wall came up fast and hard-Zero's last defense against Kaname's advances, and the pureblood had to admit he was proud of his hunter for the strength it took to do such a thing. He felt the displeasure through the bond as it cascaded over the walls and into him. Zero still felt betrayed, still felt angry, and on top of all of that, he felt cheated. Kaname pushed enough to peak over that wall and read Zero's thoughts, knowing just how much it pissed Zero off.

'_How could he? Doesn't he get it? Why won't he make up his mind? I hate that I can't hate him… No, I can't let him trick me again. His warmth feels so nice though…and it's safe here… My neck isn't sore now either. Maybe I can let it go… No, I can't let him keep this up-not anymore! I won't give in until he apologizes…'_ He felt Zero's resolve come back and knew this would be the ultimate test of his will power.

He wasn't about to apologize for worrying! He wasn't about to say sorry for coddling his mate in hopes of healing the boy. Still, he did move at Kaito's glare, noting the hand that slid slowly to the anti-vampire weapon just beneath the lapels of the older hunter's coat. So this is what it had come to… He shot the hunter a pointed glance and straightened. "Come, Seiren. We're going back to the academy first. Zero, try not to push yourself. Rest or your body won't heal properly." He was about to offer his own blood when Kaito stood to block their locked gazes.

Exasperated, he turned towards the door and left the shop, followed quickly by Seiren as he stepped out into the brisk chill. His anger was bubbling up inside his chest now, and his fingers twitched in the pockets of his overcoat. Damn it all, that hunter was going to get in HIS way? That was HIS mate, damn it… He growled low in his throat and gritted his teeth as he scanned the empty streets. The human residents, at least, had deemed it too chilly to take a brisk stroll that late afternoon. If they had, his aura might cause them to rethink that plan.

For her part, Seiren strode quietly along, cool gaze falling levelly onto Kaname's distraught posture now. Was this what it was like for a pureblood to feel true emotion-true worry? Personally, she hadn't expected to glimpse the depths of it in such a way-especially coming from Kaname. Her leader was usually very calm, cold, and carefully put together. The fact that the hunter-turned-vampire had thrown him through such a loop had forced her to reconsider her earlier disapproval of their relationship. Perhaps it might be better to reunite the two…for fear that bad things would happen if she didn't. A pureblood off his game didn't bode well for the Night Class…

Still, any fool…besides Kaname…could see the flaws in this. "You will not regain his trust if you continue to push, Lord Kaname. He is, like a wounded animal, seeking protection from a threat. As long as you push, you are that threat, and he will continue to struggle." She watched him turn, noted the fire in his crimson eyes, and thought briefly that he was about to backhand her. She'd braced for it…and her body sagged slightly as the red dimmed and left his burgundy gaze frighteningly open and vulnerable.

"I just need to talk to him, Seiren. I need to make him understand!" His fists clenched at his sides now as he began to pace up and down the abandoned sidewalk. "I need to give him my blood and know that he healed properly… I should have never left him there." He stopped pacing-as if just realizing he'd begun the action-and his gaze snapped to his bodyguard. "Quick, Seiren, what gift can I give him to make him come back to me?" His gaze was sharper now-brighter in a way-and he was full of confidence. Yes, a present would fix things. To his desperate mind, it would! "Chocolate might work. It's not too bitter, not too sweet… Or maybe roses would better suit him? It's poetic, right?"

Sensing that her pureblood leader was about to go off into some tangent or another, Seiren held up a pale hand and sighed, shaking her head. "Lord Kaname, I do not believe you fully understand what you are saying anymore. What Kiryuu wants is to hear you apologize and mean it. You have to make him feel wanted-make him feel like he matters to you as an equal." Well, she thought with a sigh, amused now to watch her breath begin to float in white silky wisps on the breeze, she had never before thought of herself as one to offer relevant relationship advice. "If you do apologize and mean it, I would suggest rose petals on white satin sheets and a box of dark chocolates with cherry filling. Perhaps you may consider some slow and intimate music."

This brought Kaname to a standstill. He blinked slowly, taking in her expression now. Seiren had said this-all of this-with a completely blank expression. He supposed it was enough to scare him into believing it might-just MIGHT-work. That in mind, he began to scroll through the sleek black cell phone and its contact lists for the florist.

… … …

"There, do you feel better now?" Kaito's voice was slightly amused, slightly concerned, as he guided Zero out of the Ramen Shop. He was glad to see that-of all things-his friend's appetite hadn't changed much. "You've had enough ramen broth to cure the common cold, so we can only hope it does your body good…" He paused then and, still holding Zero's gloved hand to keep it warm and make sure the boy didn't stumble or stagger, glanced back to take in his fellow hunter's distant expression.

Zero's violet gaze was distant and very thoughtful now as he stroked a hand along the mark. He doubted the boy even realized what had changed about it yet, and that eased something inside him. At least he could break the ice slowly there, and hopefully avoid an angry tirade. He studied Zero and he had to grit his lips to keep from hissing in annoyance. The boy's free hand was up now and cupping the marked portion of his neck...the part Kaname Kuran had begun to kiss.

Not wanting to lose his friend to that daydream, he gave a firm yank to the hand he held and his chastising gaze spoke volumes. "You can't let him affect you like that. He used you, and he'll just keep using you if you fall for his sweet talk, Zero…" He paused and gritted his teeth, deciding now was as good a time as any to bring it up. "Remember what happened when Shizuka Hio tried to make a human fall in love with her and turned him into a vampire? Do you really want that to happen to you? He's no good for you, Zero…"

This had obviously successfully startled the silver haired hunter, because Zero Kiryuu's gaze snapped suddenly sharp and the fire in those dark lavender irises flared brighter. The memory of that story was enough to let anger replace his musing, and it worked. "Just get moving… It's getting cold out, and we have to go on patrol soon anyways."

The sudden shift in attitude was accepted silently by Kaito's calm honey gaze and he nodded tersely once, free hand stuffing itself into his coat pocket now as they continued walking, ignorant of the weather around them. Still, his gaze did cut sharply to the side and to Zero past the tousle of dark blond bangs that were blown now into his eyes and to whip at his pale face. "You aren't fully recovered, Zero. You'll be resting in your room and Yuki will come to visit on and off. Yagari and I will be teaching the Night Class, so we can't check in on you." His tone left no room for argument, but Zero didn't seem to get that. He felt it as the younger hunter's grip on his hand tightened and Zero's pace picked up. He could feel that anger at his back now and he sighed.

"I can handle myself! They caught me off guard, that's all! Damn it, Kaito, I thought you were on my side!" Zero noted the shift of the hand holding his and, momentarily at least, thought he'd won the argument. However, just as quickly, the grip on his hand tightened once more and he felt Kaito yank him forward to catch up. He stumbled, caught himself, and scowled deeply up at the older hunter, knowing inwardly how childish it was.

The rest of the trip back was carried on that way; in that tense silence that thickened the chill of the air around them and made each gust of wind seem like a whip's razor sharp lash against their exposed faces. Still, it was a short way and they soon found themselves before the school gate. The area around it was still, and the wind seemed to die down as the tall wooden doors arched up into the thickly overcast grey sky. They remained unmoving even as Zero began to push at them with the palm of his pale hand. That usually worked…

The sound of shuffling feet caught both hunters attention now as familiar thin rimmed glasses appeared out of the late afternoon shades. Blond hair in a neat ponytail at the back of the neck blew slowly in the wind, as did the heavy green shawl that draped easily over strong shoulders. The new comer's hands were clasped calmly behind him, and amber irises stared out in contemplation even as that familiar smile slid across his lips. It was a reserved smile, though, and neither returning hunter missed that.

Kaito, noting the way Kaien Cross studied Zero, took a step back and unlinked their previously entwined fingers, allowing his friend to stand on his own before the headmaster. He had great respect for this man, so he didn't question the man's motivations for anything he did. After all, Kaien Cross was a hunter of legend-a force of nature that, in his time, had been unstoppable. It still confused Kaito, the motivation for Cross's need for peace between the species.

It took a moment for Cross to speak, and in that time Zero had begun to lightly fidget and avert his gaze. Usually, he was confident enough to stare straight ahead and feel slightly annoyed at his 'father figure'. Now, though, he wasn't sure. He could feel that weighty gaze sizing him up, taking him in, and dissecting every hidden emotion. Those eyes knew many things-too many things-and it scared him to know that. When, at last, he gained the strength to meet that gaze, Zero's jaw tightened and his teeth gritted lightly. Suddenly, he was all too aware of the way he slouched, the way his breath had begun to become labored with his walking in the chill. When Cross's gaze didn't avert, Zero's slid away and he found just enough strength to be defiant.

"What are you waiting for? Open the door…" he muttered, kicking the outside of it with the toe of his school shoe now in frustration. "We just went out for some Ramen, that's all…" he huffed, brushing past the unmoving chairman to the smaller door to the side of the large gate. It gave with a click under his hand and he went in across the campus towards his dorm and to, hopefully, find Yuki. Seeing her, he thought with a sigh, would put his mind at ease.

This left Kaito to stand with Cross in front of the school. The tension had snapped and fallen away, it seemed, because the strength in Cross's smile was diminishing quickly. The older hunter had begun to lean on the stone gate surrounding the academy, hands stuffed into the pockets of his baggy sweater nonchalantly as he studied the thick grey clouds through the lenses of his wiry glasses. It took a moment, but he did glance back down at Kaito, and this time his glasses didn't hide the concern in his gaze.

Kaito, joining him at the wall, shared in his silent smile, the only thing holding in the worry. Finally, though, he was brave enough to speak. "You probably smelled it on him. We were out getting Ramen… I thought it would cheer him up after what happened-give him a piece of normalcy, y'know? We ran into Kuran and his bodyguard."

What he left unsaid was quickly understood by Cross, who shook his head slowly. "Yes, I know… Kaito-San…you have to remember what that mark means, though. It wouldn't be there-not that strongly-if Zero didn't share Kaname's feelings. They both may not know it, but that's no spell-not one to control. It's mutual, and Zero instigated it, whether he remembers or not." His tone was calm still, just a father concerned for his son. "I gave Kaname permission to visit Zero, on the grounds that he didn't push him. It will help both of them to be close…though for now I would suggest keeping them slightly apart until we can figure out just what this mark can do."

Kaito, refraining himself from arguing, gave a stiff nod. Yes, the man had to know what he was doing. The legendary Kaien Cross had never done anything without a reason, after all… He sighed, rolling his shoulders under his coat, ignoring the chill in the air now to consider the jumble of thoughts whirling around like bees in his head. "Zero thinks Kaname sees him as a possession, and I'm inclined to think the same after meeting the vampire earlier." After a long pause, his gaze fell slowly on Cross and he bit the inside of his lips in waiting.

Finally though, Cross's blank expression lightened and his smile was sad as he considered it. "He doesn't know how to treat Zero. Purebloods don't often feel the things humans feel-not on a human level-and so their mindset usually keeps them thinking that way. He does love Zero, though. Just give him time and he'll be forced to reconsider the WAY he loves him."

Kaito wanted to argue-wanted to lash out as he imagined Zero might at those words. He held himself back, however, and sighed wearily, shaking his head slowly. "Fine, but it's taking its toll on Zero too, if the kid feels the same about Kuran. You know his past, Cross. His brother fell in love with the same pureblood that killed their parents. She is the reason he is the way he is. I think he'll keep forcing himself to hate Kaname until he feels safe enough to trust any vampire-especially a pureblood like Kaname-love or no love."

A strong gust brought with it small icy droplets now and both men winced lightly at the chill. It was time to go inside, and it was about time to start the crossover. So, in that quick and efficient way hunters had perfected, they dropped the subject for now and broke up to take care of the various tasks they both had to endure for now.

… … …

Yuki stood at the window staring out silently into the overcast grey that marked coming evening. The sunlight was a film of light behind the grey now, with no specific origin as it cast shadows across the campus. Her thin pale fingers, which had been tentatively fiddling with her red neck ribbon, tightened it firmly now around her neck and went to readjust her blazer around her slight shoulders. The past three days of patrolling on her own had given her time to consider the recent problems, sort them out in her mind. That being said, she flipped through them with a lack of the usual ditzy confusion she usually carried.

This was Zero-this was HER brother-that had been hurt, and she couldn't afford to NOT know what had happened to him. That being said, her large caramel irises were veiled behind eyelids and long black lashes as she sighed. This wasn't an issue of whether or not she loved Kaname and held it against Zero. That issue was put on a backburner now as she raked the problem with ruthless fingertips.

She'd come running in to find him injured, and the Night Class, eyes glowing red and each in their own position of attack, was obviously the cause. Kaname, who'd been in Cross's office, had come running as well, she thought, and this eased her mind some. At least he'd not been one to inflict damage onto Zero. Between herself and him-through Seiren-they'd watched over Zero those three long days, ensuring he survived, that he was safe. He had muttered in his sleep, something she'd not brought up to Cross or Yagari and those words played about in her mind now.

"_Kaname, where are you? Kana…me… Don't leave, Kaname… I'm scared… Don't leave."_ Over all three days, this had summed up the majority of his mutterings, and that made her heart ache lightly. Yes, she knew the reason Kaname was staying away-besides guilt probably. The new student teacher-obviously a friend of Zero's-had warded him off. She had found that, in those three days, she blamed both men for that. Yes, she blamed Kaito for keeping Kaname away from Zero, but she blamed Kaname as well.

This was something slightly new to her, considering her lingering feelings for the pureblood. She blamed him for LISTENING to the hunter. For some reason-a reason she couldn't quite understand-that jerked at some strand of anger inside her and in was neck and neck with her usual feelings. Zero needed him there; he needed to know he wasn't alone. It was no surprise to her to know her support alone couldn't heal him. After all, she'd always been there, yet they'd never shared those feelings. She thought-no, she KNEW-that the support of a lover was needed in a case like that.

As she slid her small feet into the waiting school shoes, she allowed her eyes to slide open and rise towards the window again. That just left her with her own feelings, her own jealousy towards Zero. Yes, she'd told him it was alright. She had assured him they were alright, that things between them wouldn't change…but that was becoming harder and harder to believe to his own mind. She still loved Kaname, somewhere inside her, and it saddened her to know she envied her brother for loving the man of her dreams. The tear slid down her cheek even as she fiddled with the cuffs of her blazer.

The sound of a door clicking open had her turning quickly on her heel, reaching for her Artemis Rod with practiced ease as her gaze narrowed towards the door. She had expected the Night Class nobles to come for Zero again, as they'd done that night. She'd felt their unease and restlessness during every crossover, and she was primed to attack now…if only it WAS one of the Night Class vampires.

The figure in the door had moved quickly, yes, but the face was painfully familiar…and very visibly pale. Her gaze softened now and her Artemis Rod crackled and hissed at Zero's touch. He'd caught it with one hand and, though he tried to hide it, she caught the wince of pain in his expression. No, he wasn't healed…and he wasn't supposed to be out of bed! She retracted the rod and huffed in exasperation now as her hands came to rest on her hips.

"Zero, where were you earlier? You were supposed to stay in bed!" She smacked him on the back-lightly this time-and watched his trademark scowl flicker into his violet eyes. "You don't know how worried I was to find you gone after I got back from classes!" He was paler, she noted with growing worry. He was slouched and pale, and his gaze was full to overflowing with the emotion that went unspoken.

Worry was there. She saw it, as she'd seen it the first time she'd agreed to accept his relationship with Kaname. He was afraid he would hate her. This gave her reason to shake her head now. There was loneliness there as well, and an uneasiness. This made her expression soften considerably as she reached out for him. She folded him into her arms and her tears fell now. She could feel him patting her head lightly, her back as well, trying to sooth her, and it only urged the tears on.

She couldn't be mad at him, she realized as she cried. "I was so worried about you! Zero, I don't want you to get hurt again!" She sniffled lightly and all the careful composure she'd built up in that three days crumbled at his touch.

It was then that she recalled something else-a conversation she'd had with Kaname at crossover-and it made her blinked and straighten in his grasp to stare up at him, small hands resting on his chest. "Kaname kept asking about you too. He was worried, Zero… He blames himself, you know. He knows it's his fault you got hurt…"

… … …

Zero paused then and, heart aching, stared down into Yuki's watery cocoa eyes. His mind had taken a walk, obviously, because he just kept staring. She wasn't angry that he blamed Kaname? "Yuki…he's probably worried because he knew it would make you cry." He spoke, and his tone was icy and clipped, effectively hiding the lingering hurt in his tone. "He doesn't love me-not how you think…" He left the last part unsaid, and she seemed to hear it clearly. _"He doesn't love me like I love him. He doesn't love me like you think he does or how I want him to…"_

Without warning, a single tear slid down his still icy cheek and he swiped it away quickly with his coat sleeve. "I know you still love him, Yuki…and you'd be better for him…" She, at least, would be more than a toy to Kaname Kuran. He wanted to see his sister happy, after all. His smile was weak now past the tear track, and he went to hug her again…

Except her hand had drawn back, and her slap across his face had him seeing stars, black dots, and finally white in the split second it took him to register the hit. His hand, shaking slightly, came to hold his reddened cheek as his gaze flitted away from her, not brave enough to meet her angry gaze. After a moment, he turned back to her and, still gingerly rubbing his cheek, watched her angry gaze turn into something…chastising?

"Don't think Kaname is going to get any less when I'm through with him, Zero! You love him, and I know he loves you back! In the end…this isn't a question of whether or not I love him." He winced lightly at her tone and suddenly felt very small under her scrutiny.

His eyes closed, and slowly he felt the warmth of her small hand over the one he used to hold his aching cheek. It tingled, yet the pain dulled lightly at her touch. His eyes opened to watch her smiling-a sunny smile that rivaled the sun, especially on a cloudy day like this. "You aren't about to skip crossover again, are you Zero?"

Even as she spoke, he knew what she meant. She was overriding Kaito's decision to keep him from crossover. For that he was grateful where he would have usually scowled. He was stronger now, he thought confidently. He was strong enough to put his best glare first.

**Alright guys, I'm so sorry! It took me three or so days to type this! *Cries* But please take pity on me! The recent storm made me lose most of my progress last night. Thank God for Auto Save on Microsoft! It saved a good portion of the chapter for me! Anyways, I tried to type a longer chapter to make up for it. I hope you guys enjoy and your reviews are my food! I love all of you and your reviews!**

**Anyways, don't forget to vote on the poll for Halloween fic and find me on Twitter! My name is on my bio…since I forget it… Bye guys!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys! Yeah…I know I've been slacking! I'm sorry! My teachers decided to dump all this homework on me, and I'm constantly being pulled away from the computer by my family. But don't worry, because I've been thinking about this story, and about you guys all day every day. You guys don't know just HOW MUCH I love you! Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews!**

**And lately I've noticed something. You guys are really torn between hating/loving Kaname. That was just hilarious to me! And yes, yes, I hear you~ The judges (you guys) have voted and there WILL be Kaito/Zero fluff in the coming chapter(s), not to mention a bit of tricky convincing on Kaname's part to see our lovely Zero! Ah, I just gotta love inspiration!**

**Also, before I forget, YES I will get to write the Halloween fic! It was around then that I got super busy with stuff…so expect a Halloween fic by Thanksgiving or Christmas…ish. Right now, if my memory serves, our favorite (I want to say favorite at least) pureblood will be forcing Zero into a cat costume!**

It had been a long time. As Zero followed Yuki's small back through the doors of the dormitory and out into the crispness of the golden sunset, he had to count how many days he'd missed of this routine. He'd begun to accept being part of the white uniforms that needed guarding from the Day Class. He'd begun to get used to following Kaname and relying on the pureblood's protection from human and vampire stares and whispering.

Inwardly, he cringed. No, he had to break the habit of relying on others. He'd gone and made a perfectly stable and clear path for himself in life, all issues with the Association and the Senate aside, and he wasn't about to endanger that. Had it really taken a room full of vampires and no Kaname to open his eyes? The thought brought that ever present dull ache back to his neck and he gritted his teeth as he began to absently massage it. His fingertips tingled where they made contact, and the dull ache grew sharper. Already, he knew he would be lying if he said he didn't miss the pureblood. Trickery or not, the presence of another in such an intimate way had struck something inside him.

That had to change-immediately. He was too vulnerable if he relied on anyone else. He knew that now. As he moved to stand by the gate, hands stuffed easily into the pockets of his dark slacks to ward of the chill and be within reach of his anti-vampire weapon. The cool metal felt good against his tingling fingertips, and it reminded him he had a job to do. He couldn't afford to slack-not tonight. While he might have skipped and gone to nap in the stables, he simply couldn't afford to risk it. This was as much a test of his dignity and will as it was his physical healing, and he was determined to prove himself.

In front of him, he watched Yuki stop and turn on her heel towards him. They stood in front of the Moon Dormitory gates now-as per their usual position-and he noted the lack of Day Class students. They would show up soon, and it was apparent by her expression that Yuki wanted to tell him something before they arrived that evening.

He was about to question her long pause when at last she spoke, voice firmer now. "Zero, are you certain you'll be ok with this? You can go back, if you want. Your body isn't fully recovered yet." It was said with noticeably careful tact, and he had to consider the fact that maybe-just maybe-Kaname had talked to her while he'd been recovering. That, however, wasn't what she wanted to say. He knew here well enough to wait patiently for her to reach her point. She seemed to hesitate, and finally she met his eyes. "You shouldn't blame him-Kaname I mean… He hurt you, Zero-I know that…but just hear him out…because he loves you. I know you love him in return…"

Had his expression been that obviously wounded? He took a step back as her hand came up to cup his face. He glared, and his gaze effectively brought her hand back to her side. Still, his gaze softened. She meant well… "I'll deal with my emotions when I don't have a job to do. I feel fine… Who knew I would come to appreciate vampire healing so much? I'm just a bit sore…" He paused then, and he stepped forward to wrap her in a hug. "Listen, Yuki…I'll talk to Kaname when I'm ready. Right now the wounds are still fresh…" he whispered, allowing his eyes to close slowly.

While he'd been away, she'd changed-grown stronger. He could feel it in the way she spoke and the way she hugged him back. She was still meek, still very shy, but her time guarding crossover on her own had given her a certain independence that he admired. He stepped back and away from her embrace now, assuring her silently that things were fine. She didn't completely believe him, but she trusted him, at least.

That was when someone behind him cleared their throat. He turned even before the intruder had finished coughing and, with his anti-vampire weapon drawn, glared into familiar honey orbs. Kaito stood leaning easily against a nearby tree, arms crossed over a simple dark blue dress shirt. He'd cleaned himself up for teaching, and Yagari stood beside him in his usual attire. Neither hunter seemed all too thrilled at the conversation they'd obviously overheard.

Kaito was the first to step forward, tapping the spine of the text book he held on Zero's nose. "I see nothing I say or do is going to keep you two away willingly…" His easy gaze turned then from Zero and landed on Yuki, who didn't bother flinching. She, being more used to his presence and protective of Zero, narrowed her eyes in warning. "Little lioness, stand down. I won't lock him up."

This surprised both of them greatly, and left them speechless. When Kaito was certain neither would attack, he continued. "It isn't my fault if you hurt yourself during crossover tonight. However, you've been issued an official curfew of your own, Kiryuu. You will not patrol tonight." In his tone, he made it clear that such a thing was not negotiable. He watched Zero scowl lightly before; finally, the younger hunter seemed to ease back.

"Why are you out here? Aren't you teaching?" Zero's gaze flickered between Yagari-who was still leaning on the tree-and Kaito-who'd come to tower over him by at least a head. It was then that he felt realization hit him. "You knew I'd be out here…"

The nod Yagari offered and the knowing smirk Kaito wore told him so, and he bared his teeth in a scowl. "You both are annoying… I'll be fine, so you don't have to stick around, if you don't want to…" He turned then, and was in time to watch the first wave of Day Class girls appear.

… … …

Kaname watched the interaction with peaked interest as he sat in front of the window staring out the window and towards the direction of his mate. He didn't bother opening his eyes. He let his consciousness slide along that silver chord now until he was staring through Zero's beautiful eyes at the two men and Yuki. He felt compelled to growl in disdain at the conversation, but he tentatively held back. He was simply observing-checking in like a good mate would.

The click of a door opening caused him to slide back to himself and his eyes did open. Turning, he noted Takuma's pale green irises staring in past golden bangs. The man looked concerned and just a bit frightened by his leader's silence as he shifted in the door. "It's time to go…"

He nodded, and slowly he unfolded himself and stood to his full height, already dressed in the usual white uniform. He recalled laying out a uniform for Zero as well…and his heart dropped. Right-Zero wasn't going to wear it-not any time soon, anyways. With that in mind, he stepped out and into the Night Class to set off for class.

To their credit, the Night Class had been on its best behavior lately. Having sensed their leader's antagonistic mood, they'd taken their respective punishments and veered out of his way. Did they feel bad about what they'd done? No, not one bit. They did fear and respect Kaname, however, so they would willingly live with their fates.

The doors opened slowly, and they began their nightly journey from the Moon Dormitory towards the opening gates that led to the campus. The cheering of fans greeted them, and they set about their individual charms, leaving Kaname to linger at the tail end of their group.

Kaito was the first to glance up at their arrival. He'd come early, in hopes of talking Zero out of tonight's crossover, only to find his friend's usual mile-wide stubborn streak had grown to a good two and a half miles, respectively. Then again, he thought as he exchanged glances with Yagari and the Night Class, that was what he respected most about the hunter.

Fortunately, the Day Class girls seemed to sense the same thing the Night Class students did, because they simply stood on either side-watching in silent admiration as the Night Class shuffled past. This entire process, to the surprise of all in attendance, was performed effortlessly and silently. The air around them had become heavy now, and no one was willing to break the uneasy peace that had settled over the school.

Kaito didn't bother to glare at them as they passed. He despised them, as any proper hunter would, but they didn't raise his hackles-much. It was only when a certain set of burgundy irises met his that he openly glared-a glare that usually made itself at home on Zero's face. When Kaname only smiled back toothily, though, he felt his blood pressure sky rocket.

The pureblood did give pause, however, meeting Kaito's gaze straight on now with a blank expression. The Day Class girls, fortunately, seemed to be conveniently preoccupied with the rest of the Night Class, leaving Yagari and Yuki to fend them off… That left Zero and Kato facing a very irate pureblood in silence. The tension crackled, and Kaito shifted to stand between Zero and the leech. He could feel the pressure of that stare now-the anger that was barely suppressed.

"Zero," Kaname's tone was calm, low and silky smooth from his lips as he extended a hand out towards the hunter. Screw the rules, and forget the threat of a vampire hunter. He would have his mate at his side. The mark at his neck tingled-demanding the physical closeness after so long. He ignored it as he felt Kaito's stare burning towards him. His fingertips reached for Zero, and he watched as the hunter's fingers reached in return. "Come to me, Zero."

Zero paused a moment in his careful study of everything BUT the conflict in front of him. His uneasy violet gaze shifted, and what he saw chilled him slightly. The two looked just about ready to go at one another for blood…and though the order pissed him off thoroughly, he felt the tingle at the side of his neck as his fingertips reached out for Kaname's waiting hand. That hand…it would be large, soft, and so very warm. His body gave a shudder of delight at the thought and he willed his fingers to pause…but they kept going! The inability to control the gesture frightened him more than a little now.

"Kuran…" Zero and Kaname seemed to glance up at the same time, and relief washed through Zero at the look in Yagari's one good eye. He felt the control over his own body come back and his hand dropped. Had that been a flash of warning in Yagari's eye? It frightened him that it could be so intense, though he welcomed it nonetheless for saving him.

He felt his body visibly sag in relief now as a strong hand on his shoulder eased him back and away from Kaname. He glanced back at Kaito, and his lips parted to argue when the sharp warning look cut him off. His lips pursed tightly together now and he winced, feeling the ache in his neck the second he took a step back. From that distance, he watched Kaito fling his accusing gaze at Kaname and felt the sudden urge to defend the vampire. He resisted it-just barely-and let his body relax and uncoil inside.

Yagari, watching with his single unaffected and distant blue eye, stepped forward in warning and watched Kaname turn and reluctantly leave. Only when he was gone did Yagari ease his own posture. "We've got to go to class as well. Kaito-Kun, you'll need to learn to deal with the Night Class, so let's go."

Kaito paused reluctantly, mouth open as if to protest the clear order to leave. He turned back to glance at Zero-as if it would rationalize his need to stay behind. When Zero only turned and began to wander off, however, he sighed and nodded, ignoring the curious gazes that followed them. He followed Yagari and the Night Class now and gritted his teeth in resignation, worry lingering in him over Zero.

Kaname, for his part, was seething on the inside. He wondered just what might happen if he were given one chance alone with Kaito. Oh, they would exchange more than words, he was sure of it even as he glanced back over his shoulder at Zero's retreating back. Through the bond, he could feel the hunter's strength waver and instantly that worry was back. He could feel the way Zero ached-both physically and emotionally-and wanted so badly to hold him and kiss him.

The Academy loomed ever closer as he approached it, and long ivory fingers brushed his bangs from his eyes as he stepped inside. The only light in the classroom was moonlight, pure and silver as it cast playful dancing lights over the desks and the floor. Even that reminded him of Zero…how the hunter had sat at the window to brood. He could feel Seiren's worry behind him and turned, recalling just what she'd instructed him to do. That was easier said than done…

His gaze fell on Kaito now as he and Yagari stood talking in whispers at the desk towards the front of the room. This new hunter would make it even harder, he knew, and silently he cursed everything about the being. He turned reluctantly towards the window, unable to bear the thought of one more minute studying the hunter. His eyes closed slowly now and, uncaring that the rest of the Night Class seemed uneasy over his current action, allowed himself to fall deeper into that bond with Zero.

He pushed past the minor barriers the hunter's willful mind had created and found him staring through Zero's violet eyes out into the chill of the night. Zero had managed to lose Yuki in the Day Class girls, needing time alone to sort out such confusing thoughts. Kaname almost regretted not going to him, but he supposed that was all but impossible with Kaito watching him like a hawk.

Through Zero's eyes, Kaname felt the rough bark of a tree against Zero's shoulder. He could feel his-no Zero's-fangs protruding and piercing a bottom lip now. The fangs ached, just like Zero's neck, his head…and the injuries that had lingered across his body. As he observed, Kaname could think of nothing else but the fact that Zero should not have been out and about in that condition. He felt himself scowl lightly from where he stood in the Academy as the chill of the outside sent a shiver through Zero's body. It was the same body that was weakening by the minute-sagging further against the bark of a nearby tree.

Kaname's fingers tightened on the sleeve of his white Night Class uniform as he pushed thoughtlessly off the wall of the classroom and moved towards the door. A throat somewhere behind him cleared and he turned back to glare at Kaito, who was standing and glaring impressively up at him now. He wanted to bear his fangs and threaten the hunter, but he refrained enough to turn and regard him coldly.

"You'll stay in class, Kaname Kuran." Kaito seemed to glance back at Yagari a moment-as if to ask for permission-before turning to move out of the nearest door. If Kaname Kuran was about to leave, then something was wrong with Zero. That being said, he moved into the nearby wooded area and glanced around, dodging trees and fallen logs now as he searched for the hunter. He nearly tripped over one log a few minutes later before hearing the light cough just beyond a group of trees. He peered around the trees and, to his horror, he did find Zero.

The silver haired ex-human was clutching his throat as he knelt in the foliage, silver bangs falling messily over a pale face. He moved towards Zero, kneeling in front of the hunter silently-so as not to frighten him. "You shouldn't be out here, idiot! You just woke UP today. You need to give your body time to heal." He didn't wait for Zero to respond, to say he was fine or to brush him off. He leaned forward, grabbing the front of Zero's shirt to haul him to his feet. From there he was able to pick the boy up, carrying him bridal style even as Zero began to struggle uselessly against his hold.

"Would you cut it out?" he sighed, glaring lightly down at Zero. "What the hell use could you be as a hunter in your condition? A vampire could have taken and killed you by now and I wouldn't have been able to help you…" This seemed to strike something in Zero, because the struggling stopped, and Zero sobered lightly, enough for Kaito to know he'd gotten through to him. Still, the next look he watched Zero wear hurt. Why did it look so wounded?

He was about to ask what was wrong when he finally understood. "Zero, I didn't mean…" He paused, and he bit his lip in thought. "I didn't mean that you aren't a good hunter. You're probably one of the best…but your body needs to heal still, and being out in the cold at night won't help."

Zero had to force down the anger that welled up inside him at being carried around like some weakling. His weary body welcomed it-as it welcomed the reassuring body heat… He wanted to be mad-wanted to blame everything on the first person he saw-which was Kaito. He couldn't, though. He couldn't stay genuinely angry. Instead, he bit his lip and his heavy lids slid closed. "Why are you out here anyways? Don't you have a class to be teaching?"

He listened to the obvious silence and wondered if Kaito would even answer him truthfully. Lately, it was beginning to feel as though everyone was holding something back from him-patronizing him-and just putting up with him. He wasn't a child, damn it! He had the right to know what the hell was making everyone act so strangely!

"I left because I was worried," The answer scared him. It wasn't because he'd not been expecting it…though he hadn't been. It was because it was spoken with true and honest sincerity… "Zero, please don't push yourself… I'm taking you back to the infirmary to rest, alright? I'll take off tonight to keep you company, but you've got to rest no matter what."

Zero could have argued that it was his choice except…he'd been contemplating going back himself. Sighing in agitation, he averted his gaze and allowed it, successfully forcing himself to ignore the fact that he was still being carried in such a way.

The Moon Dormitory loomed ever closer as time moved on, and Zero felt his eyes begin to blur over with sleep. Unintentionally, he curled into Kaito's warmth and relished the steady beat of a pulse-all the human traits he only sometimes felt at Kaname's side. Yes, Kaname was warm and had a pulse, but both seemed to considerably drop in sleep or while Kaname was troubled, upset, or angry…and it made Zero wonder-if ever so briefly-what it felt like to hold someone warm and alive and fully and utterly attached-someone he could be with and who didn't have to divide their attentions between an entire Night Class, a Senate, and then Zero. Without realizing it, he'd begun to feel a bit left out, he realized as he nestled closer, resting his cheek over Kaito's heart.

Kaito felt his lips tug into a fond smile at the gesture, pushing open the infirmary door with ease now as he listened to Zero's breaths even out. He'd fallen asleep in Kaito's arms. That being said, Kaito stepped into the room and closed the door with his foot in order to set Zero on the bed. "Honestly, you're so much trouble sometimes." He muttered, moving now to take off the tie, vest, blazer, and shoes from Zero's body. When he'd set the items away, his long fingers skillfully detached the gun from Zero's hip to set it on the nearby nightstand.

Already he could see how the wounds had begun to heal on Zero's body, and it was reassuringly impressive as he carefully undid the individual buttons of the crisp white shirt to inspect the lingering damage. What wounds there were on the outside had begun to heal, and the faint bruising had gone down considerably. Unfortunately, he thought as he eased the arms of the shirt away, he could do nothing for Zero's thirst for blood. He'd heard of the rejection to the tablets, and as a hunter he was completely against offering up his own blood to any vamp…though Zero did seem a bit pale.

More than that, he noted as he set the shirt aside and stared down at Zero's sleeping face, the hunter and ex-human seemed far too vulnerable-far too open and harmless. He was well acquainted with Zero's prideful nature, so seeing this unnerved him some. Vaguely, he wondered if Kaname had ever felt as lost as to what to do. Did he cuddle Zero and dote over him? Or did he leave him be and give him space? Torn between what to do, Kaito sighed and went with instinct.

He kicked off his own shoes, slipping into bed beside Zero to hold the boy close and wrap around him. Obviously that was the right thing to do, because he felt it as the stiffness in Zero's spine melted away and the younger hunter scooted into him in his sleep. "Goodnight, Zero…" he whispered, stroking his hair slowly.

**Hi again guys! Sorry, this took me a few days to write. I've been super worn out between school and work and dealing with family stuff. I'm hoping to get more chapters out faster, so don't worry. And I haven't ended it here! I promise! I'm in love with my own story, truthfully. Again, I love you guys! You give me inspiration! I hope you liked the Kaito/Zero fluff at the end. Feel free to comment on how rushed it was, because I didn't hit my stride on this chapter until probably the middle. Sorry again for the wait!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey there guys! I absolutely love all of you! You guys reviewed so fast and so positively on truly one of my worst chapters! To make it up to you, I'm uploading this fluffiness ASAP! It's just a break from the nitty-gritty of the plot and the angst long enough to conveniently wrap up some loose ends. Thanks so much for the reviews, and I hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Also, a couple other things before I leave you guys alone: Zero hasn't by any means forgiven Kaname for treating him like a pet. Also, Kaito wasn't trying to rape Zero in this chapter-not really. He was trying to provide comfort and his feelings for Zero wanted him to further that…and then our lovely Pureblood comes in!**

**Finally…I'm sensing a lot of dislike for Kaito in the whole Kaname/Zero pairing. For that I'm sorry! I really am! I'm not trying to portray him as a bad guy, I promise, and the fluff does add angst. And yeah, one of you mentioned him getting his memories back in three days… I sort of forgot about that…a lot. So this just makes up for it. Finally, finally – I know I portrayed Zero as weak lately, but don't worry. Over the next few chapters our favorite ex-human will be…eh…not so weak willed. He'll make sure Kaname-Chan knows JUST how pissed off he is…using methods that justify the M rating on this fan fiction.**

**Enjoy!**

"Lord Kaname, are you paying attention to the lesson?" He blinked and nearly jumped from where he'd perched himself at the window-in the place usually taken up by a certain hunter. He had to slowly rub at his previously glazed dark eyes a moment and blink them in order to focus them on Seiren, who was standing nearby with, what he could only assume was, a worried expression.

He sat up quickly after another long pause and rolled his shoulders in the dim glow of the light that poured in from the window. The moon was still up-so he couldn't have been out for too long. "I'm fine, I'm fine…" he muttered, noting the way the rest of the Night Class averted their gazes back to their text books. "What time is it?" he asked, knowing without looking at a clock that he'd been out of it and watching over his mate for quite a while.

Seiren seemed to sense this, because she stood calmly at his side and nodded. "You've been out of it for half the class already. That hunter has not returned yet either, and Yagari-Sensei just left." Her expression didn't shift or change as she spoke and her posture remained at ease even as she stared out at the moon. "Are you tired, Lord Kaname? Perhaps you require a tablet? It is the closest thing to Kiryuu's blood for now." Despite how she attempted to cover it up, there was true concern in her voice.

Over the past few days, and through the grueling punishments set in by Kaname after the Night Class's attack on Zero, the vampires in attendance were mindful of their leader's precarious emotional stability. Not desiring a repeat of the punishment that was currently not yet ended, they had tread carefully around Kaname and danced around the issue for as long as they could. The fact that Seiren-usually very calm and emotionally unattached-had interfered and dared bring up the subject had startled not only the Night Class…but Kaname.

The vampire prince didn't argue the gesture as Seiren passed him a crystal long stemmed wine glass of water and two tablets, and instead offered a weary smile as he dropped the tablets into the water to watch them dissolve. The crimson swirls ventured to mingle with the water until the dark pink color was consistent before Kaname brought the lip of the glass to his lips. The crystal was chilled along his heated skin and it was a relief to feel the smooth glide of an only moderately palatable concoction slide along his throat. He didn't sip-as he normally would. Instead, he drank deeply and nearly coughed before handing the glass back.

He thanked Seiren as his bodyguard took it back and, a bit steadier now, stood to loosen the muscles that had become stiff in his arms and back. He noted the way Takuma seemed to eye him with worry, and the way Aidou seemed to scoot away. After a moment, however, he put off the gestures as of no importance and turned towards the door to leave.

"Lord Kaname…" Takuma's voice reached him now, and he turned at the uneasy worry in the tone. When he said nothing and only met those jade irises, Takuma continued. His voice was steadier now-brave-and Kaname's hand eased its grip on the handle of the door. "That hunter told you to stay in class…" They both knew Kaname wouldn't heed the instruction, but he understood that Takuma at least had to try.

"I trust you can oversee the Night Class in my place for now, Takuma. I expect a report on my desk by tomorrow evening." His grip on the handle tightened now and he pulled, exiting through the double doors to stride calmly through the hall. He'd be damned if he let his mate be held by another-especially a hunter.

In his stroll, he allowed his mind to wander back to the sensations and emotions he'd felt through Zero and their bond. His mate resented his lack of warmth? Did he not hold the boy enough? Did he not worry constantly about Zero? Had his mate not just told him he hated being patronized and coddled? Confused, Kaname heaved a sigh and moved out into the crispness of midnight towards the Sun Dorm's infirmary, where he knew he would find Zero. It was as if the silver cord connecting them was tugging him towards the building.

He'd plotted his night perfectly-the night he would force Zero to remember. He'd ordered the roses and the finest blood wine, had made arrangements for his schedule to be cleared all that week. They had a lot to catch up on, he and his mate, and a lot of…mating to make up for. After all, mates often spent most of the first week in bed, sharing one another's blood and body. The thought sent a tingle through Kaname even as irritation bubbled up inside him. Three days! Zero was supposed to remember what had happened within three days!

After a moment, however, he forced himself to calm. Zero was recovering from his injuries, and the bond between them was being stretched and strained from the time apart. All in all, Zero had a lot to deal with, and he would likely remember if he felt safe and whole again. Kaname vaguely wondered when his mate had ever felt safe or whole. In this cruel world, he knew it must have been a rare occurrence.

Zero shifted and curled into the warmth beside him. He'd never thought Kaname to be so warm…or to stroke his hair while he slept. Still, he couldn't force himself to be angry as he leaned into the long fingers that stroked his silver bangs from his closed eyes. Those hands were warm…warm yet different. As he continued to wake, Zero sniffed lightly, expecting to smell the warm scent of cinnamon, smooth dark chocolate, cherries, ginger, and vanilla he usually associated with Kaname. Instead, a more woodsy scent found his nose. It was sweet, yes, and earthy. It was warm-but it didn't tingle and grow hot in his core like Kaname's scent might. The blood that ran through these veins didn't belong to Kaname.

Something inside him recoiled instinctively back from the gentle touches and finally his eyelids-still heavy with sleep-squinted and slid open. He yawned, and after blinking several times, realized just where he was, why, and with whom. It was enough to make him fight the dull ache of his muscles and the need to be near the warmth as he sat up and yawned. He brought his knuckles to work away the sleep in his eyes as he glanced over and down.

Kaito, who had been stroking Zero's hair while the boy slept, had sat up as well, propping himself up on the heels of his palms to watch Zero. "Sleep well? You looked exhausted, so I brought you back to the infirmary to rest." His lazy smile was slow and thoughtful now as he took in Zero's tousled and still half-asleep state. "Feel better?"

Zero would have scowled and denied it…except he DID feel better. He felt much better and quite a bit stronger to boot. It was a struggle to tamp down on the feeling of loss or disappointment that welled up from his core at the knowledge that those hadn't been Kaname's long fingers, or his body, that he'd so enjoyed leaning towards. The thought left a pit of loss to chill inside him now as he offered up a grateful smile. He was still too tired to feel irritation towards his childhood friend when Kaito had simply wanted to help him.

Kaito didn't need any verbal communication to know Zero was feeling stronger. He simply nodded in understanding as he brought up a hand to tuck a strand of soft silver hair behind Zero's ear. "You sleep like the dead, you know that Zero? It's still night, though, so you've got time to sleep. You know Yuki would worry if she knew you weren't getting enough rest."

He felt the light punch to his shoulder and smirked, knowing Zero was fully awake now. "Would you stop that? Yuki doesn't need to know how much sleep I get anyways!" He watched Zero pout, and he smirked in return, knowing he'd pressed the right button to get a reaction out of Zero.

"Your absence might have given her the independence she needs…but I think she'll always worry over you no matter what, Zero." Truthfully, Kaito respected the pureblood for that. Unlike Kaname, who seemed keen on treating Zero as property or a pet, the younger Kuran child was soft hearted and mothered Zero as if attempting to make up for those years the hunter had missed out on. Conveniently, it was Yuki's nagging that forced Zero to listen to reason.

He smiled when he felt Zero's body ease against his and shifted until he held the hunter against his chest. "In all your time with Kaname," He watched Zero wince with something close to guilt at the mention of Kaname Kuran. "Did he ever simply hold you? Did he stay in bed and simply be with you?" His voice dropped lower now and he moved to whisper next to Zero's ear. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to simply relax into warm arms and feel a beating heart?"

He felt Zero's body stiffen and grow still as he spoke, and slowly those fingers curled into his dress shirt. Usually very good at assessing the situation, Kaito smiled and began to slowly stroke Zero's back with the palm of his hand. His long fingers, moving over every tense muscle, worked out the kinks and massaged until the muscle eased. In his easy movements, he'd managed to scoot Zero's body to straddle his hips, allowing his hands to wander and see just how small this creature was. He moved thoughtlessly, not fully realizing his own intentions until he felt something south of his waistband stir.

He hissed inwardly and forced his mind to safer ground before that other personality could pitch a tent in his pants for Zero to feel. He would be lying if he tried to say he wasn't at all affected by Zero's beauty, the stubbornness of his personality, or the cute way he seemed to pout or grow angry. All of those things made up this broken angel, and it was all of these things and more that urged Kaito to hold his childhood friend.

Zero felt panic begin to well up inside him even as his body-having gone without such intimate touches for so long-reacted and moved into the skilled fingertips. Why did such a touch have to feel so sublimely wonderful? Why couldn't he be with Kaname in such a way? He felt something in him cry out in desperation even as his mind forced itself to decide. He pressed the flats of his palms firmly against Kaito's chest now, pressing back to leverage himself away from the touches. He sucked in a breath, and shuddered at the intimate light of Kaito's dark irises. Something in the pit of his stomach stirred, begging to be sated by the primal instinct to mate. Even as that core stirred, his neck began to sting. It wasn't the dull ache of before. Now it was sharp, razor edged and tingling. It was as if his neck was on fire.

He yelped lightly, and his eyes squeezed tightly shut. Zero brought his hand to the side of his neck and over the burning where his tattoo was supposed to be at the left of his neck. He ignored Kaito's worried gaze and the shock in those caramel eyes as he slid off the bed and ran into the adjoining bathroom. His throat felt so hot-so sandy and dry. Desperation forced his fingernails to scratch and claw at the physical burn of the mark as his free hand slammed hard against the porcelain sink.

He stared into the reflection in the mirror and his fangs-aching and burning-elongated past his partially open lips. His pupils had dilated, gone red, and his face had become stark white and clammy. His chest ached and fits of coughing racked through him now, and it felt as though his heart would catch fire as his knees wobbled beneath him. Blood had begun to trickle, thick and red, along his pale and shaking fingers now from the wounds at the side of his neck. He brought his hand away with an effort and he watched as the wounds began to heal, though the burn only increased.

He watched the blood sizzle at his neck and disappear into steam as a dark presence grew nearer. He might have cried out, might have screamed, but he couldn't hear anything. There on his neck, where the claw marks and blood and HIS tattoo should have been, an intricate rose and thorny vines wrapped around his throat… It was moving and growing more intricate even as he watched, and the burning spread.

He felt a weight on his shoulders then and fell to his knees-shaking hands gripping his temples as pain shot through his head. Someone was shaking him. A voice was yelling to try and snap him out of it…and he could hear the fear and concern. Tears burned his own cold cheeks as, somewhere past the bathroom and his own pain, the door to the infirmary slammed open.

Kaname Kuran was a very, very angry vampire in that moment. He'd witnessed it all through the bond, felt the shifting, changing, ever torn emotions in his mate. He'd watched through Zero's violet eyes as Kaito stroked and moved and roamed. It might have not pissed him off so thoroughly, had he not felt Zero begin to actually enjoy the touching. His fangs bared ivory in the dimness of the infirmary now as he slammed the door shut behind him. His irises were crimson-he knew it without looking-and that meant things would only get worse.

He sniffed the air lightly and, through the bond, he felt Zero's pain as if it were his own. He fought past it as he stepped towards the bathroom in time to watch the hunter shake Zero and try to get through to him.

To his surprise, and probably Kaito's, the crimson of his irises faded and rational thought and the need to act and help his mate overtook his rage. He knelt, pushing the hunter aside now as he grasped Zero's shoulders, forcing the silver haired hunter to turn and face him from his spot on the floor. His own mark tingled in response and the close proximity of their bodies now as he watched crystalline tears cascade slowly down from Zero's still crimson eyes.

He didn't flinch at what he saw, though. He was smart enough to know that, in that moment, Zero was panicked and afraid, like a wounded animal who might attack out of desperation. That being said, he eased his grip on the hunter's shoulders and bared his own throat to reveal the similar mark. He waited a beat, and when he felt Zero's muscles ease he let his hands fall away. He was about to cup Zero's face in his hands and assure his mate it was alright when something took him by surprise.

He felt the air at his back and winced as the tile floor hit him hard. He was on his back and staring up into large crimson eyes. The vice like grip of smaller hands on his shoulders sent a dull ache through his muscles as he watched Zero crane his neck and lean down to sniff the mark. A moment later, he felt the tips of fangs and nearly hissed at the violent way they pierced his neck-right over the mark. He remained still, save his hands which fought Zero's hold and came up to pull the hunter flush against his body from where he sat straddling Kaname's hips on the floor.

Something clicked into place in the bond and he felt himself be sucked into Zero's mind without trying. He felt the fear, the rage, and the loneliness fall away and saw the memories filter like a funnel into Zero through the blood those fangs took from Kaname. Ignoring Kaito's distant questioning, he brought up his hand to slide slowly across Zero's back in small circles, willing the boy the trust him and ease.

Zero couldn't stop the flow. As the memories came crashing in, wave upon wave, things clicked into place in his frazzled mind. He allowed his body to relax and the fear and panic to drain now as he took in the familiar tingling heat of the delicious blood his body had come to so crave. He was, for the moment, whole as a new kind of heat healed the stinging searing pain in his neck. The aches and pains of his muscles washed away and he nearly purred in ecstasy. Those large warm hands were the ones he'd so craved, and the beast inside him uncoiled and yawned, awakened by the memory of marking Kaname Kuran-his mate-for life.

Through the blood that he took in from his mate, he felt Kaname's own darkness react. Their twin instincts mingled and played now and he growled into the bite, limbs curling and wrapping around Kaname, just as his beast wrapped itself around his mate's. Suddenly, there was nothing in the world, no one in the world, besides himself and Kaname. He couldn't force himself to be angry at the fact that he had, yet again, been left out of the loop and uninformed of his lost memories. It didn't mean he would easily forgive his mate-because he knew he wouldn't anytime soon-but it did mean that, for now, it was ok. THEY were ok…

Completely sated and languid after having fed so completely, Zero yawned and stretched, purring even as his beast growled and paced and nestled against Kaname's. He did sleep then, body forcing itself to catch up on sleep in order to regroup and deal with the new memories and make sense of them.

Kaito sat in confusion, wide honey eyes staring unflinchingly forward as if to comprehend what had just happened. Slowly, he shook his head to clear it and his hand rose to smack himself on the head and clear it. Had he just seen that? Had that just HAPPENED? It was as if he'd been dreaming…or having a nightmare…

"Well now," The malice in the dark voice mingled with victory as Kaito's head snapped to stare into Kaname's sharp burgundy gaze. The pureblood was smiling, a broad and toothy smile that promised just HOW MUCH pain he could easily inflict on the hunter just then. "I have to thank you, Kaito… Because of your meddlesome, over-curious fingers, I didn't have to be the one to force Zero's memories back." Kaito didn't miss the way those fingers stroked Zero's silver bangs, and the tension in the air sent a shiver down his spine.

He did narrow his own eyes, however, forcing down the fear. "You really think you can be there for him like he needs? You think you can be gentle with him and coddle him without treating him like property?" His eyes narrowed now, and disdain successfully took place of the anger. "He trusts you, which is the worst part, because you won't change-not really." He stood now on a burst of adrenaline, watching Kaname shift and do the same, bringing Zero up with him.

Kaname wanted to smirk-he really did. He refrained just barely as he shifted Zero's weight in his arms, turning to settle his mate on the nearby infirmary bed before turning back to Kaito. Did this hunter honestly know nothing? He was the one who'd been marked, which meant Zero now held the reigns-even if the hunter didn't realize. That meant that, though Kaname didn't enjoy admitting it, Zero would do what he wanted, despite Kaname's disapproval. There wasn't much room for him to control that.

However, wasn't that what happened in a successful marriage? Both partners had to compromise and work around things-give up some, most, or all of their control to the other out of love. Kaname hated it-resented the fact that he'd been the one marked…but if it was by Zero, then he WOULD change. If anything else, he would prove this hunter wrong.

"Perhaps you don't understand…" he hummed, crossing his arms now as the earlier rage flickered through his eyes. "I love Zero enough to change. I love him enough to make it work…and I'll be damned if I let you off for touching MY mate in such a way." He stepped forward and his voice dropped to a growl. In the span of a second he was at the hunter's throat, and the barrel of a gun was under his chin…and then the door clicked and swung wide.

They both had to hand it to Cross. The man might have been extremely thick headed at times, but he was smart about it. He could read the situation clearly.

Kaname watched in open mouthed fascination as Cross hummed from the doorway and stepped over to check Zero's temperature with the back of his hand. Both men lowered their weapons/hands/fangs…and simply watched Cross move about as if the headmaster had not just walked in to find them about to kill one another. Kaname supposed that had been intentional on Cross's part, and felt mildly relieved as he watched Kaito replace the safety on the anti-vampire weapon. For a long moment, the room was silent, save Cross's thoughtful hum.

Kaname, curious now as to what Cross was doing, stepped back from Kaito and both men peered up over the blonde's shoulders and down at Zero, who lay shirtless on the bed. Blood-the blood he'd taken from Kaname's neck earlier-trickled slowly down his chin and color came back to his body.

Cross had come in with a bucket and a washcloth, and had proceeded to clean the mark at Zero's neck. Kaname felt fascination grow inside him as he studied the way the thorny vines wrapped and curled around Zero's neck-like a choker. It meant that he would bear the same mark, inevitably, and his fingertips reached down past Cross to stroke Zero's mark. They jerked back the moment Cross swatted at them, and Kaname drew them up to rub them gingerly.

"Let him rest for now, because things won't be calm for long. The moment he wakes and realizes all of what's happened, you know he'll be very…irate with you, Kaname." Then, as if knowing Kaito was doing a victory dance at not being yelled at, Cross's gaze flicked back up to the hunter and the dancing froze. "He'll be angry with you as well, Kaito. He won't forget what you tried to do, no matter how well-meant it was."

Neither man dared ask how Cross knew about the events that had taken place in the infirmary, only nodded their heads in twin signs of understanding. Yes, both men DID realize a fraction of just how thoroughly pissed Zero would be when the blood wore off and he realized what happened. "Kaname, stay with Zero tonight and ensure he sleeps soundly. Kaito, return to the Night Class for the remainder of tonight."

Something clicked for the two and twin sets of understanding gazes flicked towards the door. Yagari stood leaning on the frame, knowing gaze landing on both of them. The older hunter had sold them out! The worst part was that there was no shame in that sly smile, or the way that single sapphire eye glittered.

Kaito sighed, reluctantly setting aside his pride and anger as his gaze flicked from Zero's sleeping face, then to Cross, and finally to Kaname, as if to ask his enemy for assistance. When he translated Kaname's smug look, however, he realized with dismay that the pureblood was throwing him to the wolves…the wolves being Yagari. He followed his sensei out in a slouch then and the door clicked shut, leaving the room in a deep silence.

Cross stood eventually, however, and smiled reassuringly at Kaname. "Treat him well, Kaname…because the Senate won't be at all happy that Zero has his memories back. You need to stay with him and follow him wherever he goes from now on-even if he becomes angry with you. I'm letting you off just this once because it was for Zero, but I don't want to see you picking fights with vampire hunters again."

As if knowing Kaname wanted to ask, Cross's smile warmed. "Zero will choose for himself which class to attend and what dorm to live in. For now, just be with him. You'll have quite a lot to make up for shortly, and not a lot of time to do it, so make it count…and remember to cherish him." Cross left it at that as he stood, dusting his clothes off to step towards the door. He waved, and the door closed behind him as silence filled the room.

Kaname felt worry fly out the window. For just that night he crawled up beside Zero in the bed and simply held the boy to him. He circled his arms around the silver haired hunter and felt just how complete it made him as his mate shifted and turned to face him in his sleep. He smiled, and leaning forward, kissed those soft and rosy lips. Yes, they had a lot to work through, a lot to worry about…and he would likely find himself paying for most-if not all-of what he'd put Zero through once Zero realized just how much power he held in their new relationship. One thing was for certain, though.

Kaname Kuran would come to realize what it meant to have 'too much of a good thing'. After all, they had to fit roughly a month worth of sex and cuddling into roughly a week before shit hit the fan and they were forced back into reality.


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey guys! I'm back on the normal schedule that I promised! Now that life is calming down around me, I hope to post frequently like I'd been doing before. With the holidays coming up, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'm super excited that I got such a great response from you guys! I love you guys, I seriously do! You're literally what make my day.**

**Ok, so down to the nitty-gritty before we start! I'll admit I totally and utterly forgot I'd even placed Ichiru in this story… SO! For plot purposes he shall return shortly. Don't worry, don't worry~ There will be plenty of twin-angst going on shortly, I promise! And in a few of the conversations between Zero and Yuki, I do believe I might have screwed up the 'him/hers', though I can't recall where off the top of my head. Someone brought it up though and I'm glad they did because that really helps me as a writer to improve and know what to work on. I love when you guys critique me! It gives me things to work on and I know that (I love my family to death) my family won't critique me all that much on what I absolutely NEED to improve on in order to be better. And so I thank you guys so, so much for that!**

**Again, I've found very mixed emotions towards Kaito lately. I understand a lot of you don't enjoy him, don't care that he's in this fic, or plain out hate him, but bare with me, because a lot of readers love the fluff and angst, and Zero wouldn't have gotten his memories back in such a plot-important way otherwise.**

**Also, Rosaikibu, you're going to have to explain dear. I can't tell what exactly you're asking me. (^^) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. And yes, there will be a snippet with a puppy-eyed Kaname. And Shebacatb10, I feel you! I think it would devastate Zero a bit to not be allowed to be a prefect. Meagan28, you know it is! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~**

It struck him as oddly cute, the irony that was Zero Kiryuu. After all, was a vampire hunter-turned vampire not ironic? Or could it have been the bitter humor and poetic justice of knowing just how thoroughly this broken angel loathed all vampires-and at the same time loved the prince of vampires so deeply? Kaname felt oddly philosophic as he lay beside Zero in the infirmary bed, long ivory fingers stroking their way through silky white locks. The skilled fingertips moved of their own accord and left Kaname to appreciate the sheer artistic beauty of the silver halo of hair that fanned out against the pillow and his chest. His hunter-his mate-was sleeping deeply now, and it pleased Kaname somewhere deep inside to feel the instant snap of loose ends coming together. Just by being together, it was as if they'd never been apart.

The silence that filled the room, past the light whisper of breath past Zero's soft pale lips and the rustle of Kaname's body shifting somewhat across the bed, was soothing-the sort of comfortable silence that meant things were alright between them. Inwardly, the thought sent a wave of relief through Kaname. He had feared the worst-had been ready for Zero to reject him completely and make himself sick over their not so minor dispute.

On the other hand, he reminded himself on an uncomfortable hiss of breath, he'd verbally promised some things himself. Most importantly, he'd forced himself to consider his mate's earlier complaint. Had he treated the boy like property? Was that not how mates showed their love? He'd begun to doubt the logic of his ancestors the moment he'd seen what his folly had done to Zero there on that bathroom floor.

He would try, he mused as he shifted to wrap Zero tighter into his embrace, fingers still working to stroke and ease and smooth out the aches and pains that had accumulated. He would try harder than he'd tried for anything before in his life to make Zero KNOW that he was more than a possession to Kaname. If it took an hour, a day, a month, or centuries, he would try with everything that he was.

Just as he'd come to peace with that thought-laid that demon to rest-another cropped up and made him cringe. There was still the issue of one Kaito Takamiya to worry about. He knew for a fact that Cross had done him a kindness by interjecting when he had-but it wouldn't always be that easy. He had an understanding with the other…but that was about as far as they'd gotten-an understanding. He understood that he hated Kaito, and that he couldn't hurt/kill him because he was Zero's childhood friend. Similarly, Kaito understood that he hated Kaname, and that Kaname and Zero were mated-something unable to be done without the earnest mutual love of both parties. In short, Kaito would think twice about killing him, knowing just how deeply Zero loved Kaname. In that understanding, there was no guarantee that Kaito wouldn't attempt to intervene…a lot.

Kaname listened to Zero's light breaths, the inhale and exhale as his hunter eased against him, nestled his cheek atop Kaname's chest. He would put up with Kaito only because of Zero…and if miracles were possible, then he hoped beyond hoping that he might even strike up something of a friendship with Kaito. It was a farfetched pipe dream at best, but he could dream, couldn't he?

He was nearly lost in his musings when a spark of awareness flared up in the bond on Zero's end. Kaname's dark eyes softened in the dimly lit infirmary now and he brought his fingers from the boy's hair in order to cup his cheek now to bid his mate good morning/evening…and what a very good morning it was, he purred, studying those sleepy violet depths.

It was warm there. It was warm and soft and safe there in the comfortable darkness-surrounded by the unseen warmth of arms around him. For a moment, it was as if he was floating, and nothing was wrong with the world. More importantly, that warm dark chocolate, cinnamon, cherry and vanilla scent was back. Did he have any idea what had happened? No, no he did not. He wondered if it was better that way-just floating and not caring.

After a moment something else registered and it brought him back down-sank him into the thick of the warm, comfortable feelings until he could feel the wrinkled fabric under his cheek…and a steadily beating heart and generous heat beneath that. He nearly purred as his fingertips moved across toned muscle and smooth skin, a part of him still desiring the languid relaxation it had known hours before-after drinking Kaname's blood.

His mind processed the information almost hand in hand with the sensation that shot through his body, from the base of his spine and to the tips of his ears. All at once he felt incredibly warm-the sort of warm that meant he'd just embarrassed himself…or been embarrassed. He chanced a bleary glance upward, spying familiar burgundy orbs. They mirrored the smooth rich scent he'd so missed, and he felt his neck crane forward to press their lips together. His lips parted almost of their own accord as his fingertips gripped the wrinkled shirtfront beneath him. The friction of their bodies moving one against the other-even with layers of clothes in between was electric through his spine and he couldn't help the way his heart began to race.

He nearly let a moan escape as he felt Kaname reach up and cup his cheek. The heat of that hand was more intense than he had words to describe as his head tilted into it, silver bangs falling in front of his still-bleary lilac eyes slowly. The sight of Kaname there, rumpled from sleep and looking so…dark-made his mouth begin to water. It took a moment, but he felt the memories slide back to him like liquid ecstasy, and a low moan did vibrate his chest now. It was followed by an almost feline smile, full of fang and bittersweet nostalgia as he leaned down to press his lips to the heated silk of Kaname's.

"It might have been better," he purred, voice low and slightly husky with the weight of the words. As he spoke, his hips rolled along Kaname's groin. The surprise in the gasp made him shudder lightly in anticipation as his hips repeated the gesture again, taking pleasure in the shuddering breaths it elicited from the pureblood beneath him. He continued then after planting a very slow, thoughtful kiss along the sinewy muscles of that ivory neck. "You're mistaken, if you think I've forgotten what you made me go through these past few days. You can be sure I'll get every bit of revenge I can."

He meant it, and they both knew it. As Zero kissed, trailing his lips down until he could loosen that troublesome crimson tie from around Kaname's pulse point, the hunter's long fingers worked skillfully at the buttons that held the pureblood's vest together, and then his shirt. Both fell away and Zero felt Kaname shift to slide them and the white blazer off and to the floor somewhere.

There was no denying how utterly pissed off he still was at Kaname. It was evident in every button popped and every impatient jerk of fabric in Zero's journey to make contact with that heated smooth flesh. His lips, impatient and feeling as if they'd not kissed his mate in ages, greedily devoured the sensitive flesh of the pureblood's neck and collarbone in an attempt to mark his territory. The primal need to feel himself against his mate tweaked some animal interest inside him and he felt it uncoil in heated waves into his fingertips as he began his impatient removal of Kaname's slacks.

Kaname, both amused and slightly afraid of Zero's recent determination, as well as the anger with which the boy seemed to tug and pull at his pants button, moved his fingers to firmly grip Zero's hips and force them down even as his own came up to meet them. He let his mate feel just how it was affecting him now, successfully forcing Zero to pause in his angry tugging and pulling. In return, Kaname brought one hand up to cup the back of Zero's head. He forced the boy down now and their lips locked tight in another long, sensual kiss.

This time, Kaname brought his hips up again, drawing his new and very obvious 'problem' along the cleft of his lover's backend. His fingers squeezed the sensitive skin now past the hunter's own thin slacks and he felt the rumble of a low growl of his own, demanding there be no cloth between them. His beast seemed to agree, because it arched against Zero's, the shadows twining and circling one another, offering up testing swipes until their primal urges screamed for them to mate. In reality, it was their usual foreplay-just a bit on the dangerous side of the fence-though perfectly harmless…usually.

His hips lifted, and he felt Zero finally loosen the button and slide down the zipper. Simultaneously, he did the same and another growl-this one of pleasure-left his lips as he proceeded to slide away the fabric concealing his mate from him. He lost track of the meager fabric the moment the flats of his heated palms pressed up against the smooth pale flesh. He heard the moan that slid from Zero's throat and answered with his own growl, feeling their inner beasts curl and begin the instinctive process of twining together. Their bond sparked, and the energy that flared and hissed along that silver cord was intense.

In the span of several quick seconds, Kaname Kuran had successfully disrobed not only himself, but his mate as well, and took great pride in watching his lover's slender, toned body move in the moonlight that would soon give way to the morning's sunlit horizons. His hands remained flat and wandering, fingers massaging every inch of exposed skin across Zero's face, his neck, down across his collarbone, his chest and arms, along his sides, and finally back down to settle at his hips. This beautiful creature was entirely his-every last bit. As if to prove it, he moved and his fingertips found the light pink nubs that, in his lust-hazed mind-looked perfect enough to suckle and kiss, to nip and tug at. That was exactly what he did, too.

He heard Zero's sharp surprise in the quick intake of breath even as his elongated fangs nicked the sensitive pink bud, tugging lightly. His hands, meanwhile, busied themselves in their journey past those slender hips. He cupped the curve of his hunter's butt and gave a quick firm squeeze-as if to prove that that, too, was his. When he felt Zero comply and heard the light growl of approval from the silverette, Kaname moved his hands-one to wrap itself around the hunter's length and the other to continue on to the boy's entrance. He paused then and, in a single moment of utter clarity, he and his beast stared up imploringly into Zero's eyes. He felt Zero and the beast inside his mate avert their full attention to him now as he sat up and captured those sweet lips.

"Zero, are you sure you want to overexert yourself so quickly?" It was a foolish question, but he had to be sure he asked as he pulled away to lick his mate's jaw, waiting patiently now for an answer.

Zero paused and pulled back, not at all pleased to have been cut off from his original goal. He felt almost as if he wanted to throw a tantrum-to whine and complain that he wanted to mate and he wanted to mate NOW. Instead, and to his credit, he growled and reached down between them, taking their erections between pale fingers to rub together slowly. He worked his hips and panted lightly, watching Kaname's expression in hopes that he'd convinced his lover he'd be fine. He wasn't so sure he WOULD be, after so many days out of practice and weak…but he REALLY wanted it… He felt the red tint to his face and shuddered, arching his back now as his other hand forced Kaname back-lying flat on the smooth broad chest of his lover.

"Kaname," he began, voice gradually growing stronger. "Do I look at all weak to you?" He cut the vampire off quickly and quickened his pace in order to thoroughly enjoy the friction building along their shafts. "I want you, and I want you here and now-RIGHT now." He growled bringing his thumb up to run along Kaname's slit to collect pearly beads of pre. "Don't you dare argue with me, damn it. If I want to have sex with you, then I'll have sex with you with whatever energy I've got left inside me…and you think I'm joking." He let out a breathy laugh at that and his head tilted back. "I don't know if it's a good idea to have you take me dry…but damn I really…really want you."

He watched in silent triumph as Kaname's expression changed and became slightly darker-glassy with the thought of sex…lots of sex. Zero hadn't thought he would desire the act so much as he did now-but there was no fighting his inner beast as the creature yawned and stretched its languid body throughout all his instincts.

He growled, half himself and half his beast, as he felt those familiar fingers sliding with purpose down his back, to the cleft of his ass. He pressed back at the touch and shuddered, barely able to hold in a moan as the tingling sensation grew into sensual waves of heated pleasure.

"Oh? Look who's demanding now, hmm?" He might have hissed or growled in response, but the rake of fangs at his neck-right over his mark-sent that spark of white hot pleasure through his body. His back arched, and his mouth gaped in a silent scream. There was that voice again, he realized as he came down from the sudden spike of pleasure. "I've barely touched you and your body is about to go into meltdown…" He hated it that Kaname was right, hated it that his body demanded the man's touch…but oh did it feel so good.

It was almost euphoric, the way those fingers ghosted over his entrance and pressed down firmly, sliding in through the twitching entrance to delve deep into his heat. Zero's lips parted, and he moaned something that might have been Kaname's name and "Oh God yes! Give me more…" He couldn't be sure though; because no sooner had the words left his mind had those fingers found their way to that one place that could make him lose his mind.

His mind melted-he was fairly certain it was thoroughly melted as he pushed back hard against those fingers. His walls clamped shamelessly down now as he gave a low whine. His beast needed-no DEMANDED sex. Like hell he'd let Kaname tease him until he was a babbling mess before he got to thoroughly enjoy it and revel in the victory of having won it himself. These thoughts were almost enough to keep him from noticing the way his hips moved along those fingers, grinding back until he could feel the tips brush that one spot just barely. He didn't mind that it sounded needy-He growled and forced his hips back fast and hard…only to have Kaname tease him and pull his fingers away enough to leave that orgasm out of his reach.

"Kaname," he growled, fangs extending and eyes lightening to a backlit violet glow. "I want more than your fingers." Knowing Kaname might attempt to tease him, Zero cut him off and growled in frustration as he leaned down, hissing as he unsheathed the fingers from inside him. The sudden emptiness nearly made him whimper as he reached back to wrap his fingers tightly around the base of Kaname's length.

"Come and take it from me, Zero," was the only response Zero allowed past those deceivingly sweet lips as he covered them firmly with his own. He waited a beat and, when he was sure the kiss had successfully stunned Kaname, leaned to the left and to the third drawer of the infirmary nightstand. His lust-hazed mind read and reread the tube of disinfectant cooling and heating jell now as he worked the clear tingling liquid around his fingers.

He brought the digits back to his entrance then and felt no shame in thrusting the lubricated appendages deep inside himself. He had the vaguest sense of Kaname moving to run the jell along his shaft and tip before the familiar hands at his hips lifted him up and carefully positioned him to teeter at the engorged pink mushroom tip as it pulsed with heat and tingled uncontrollably with the jell. It didn't help anything that his own walls were twitching like mad either, or that his heart was racing.


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow…it's almost been a year. Uh, I want to be able to say I was comatose for almost a year, but I wasn't. However, it being my senior year of high school, I did have plenty on my plate. Though, now that I'm graduated, I hope to have a bit more time. I'm super sorry, though! I didn't anticipate being gone this long. School sucks away my inspiration. If it makes you feel better, I procrastinated on a lot of other stuff like Role Plays and other fan fictions. Thank you, though. You guys left such amazing reviews on this story. It made my heart flutter inside when I read them. They're what motivated me to start writing. I did graduate yesterday, and this summer is going to be hectic (I'm gonna be gone for six weeks for a work and learn program because I'm partially blind), but I hope to update regularly again.**

**Well, now that you guys have seen the gist of everything…on to the sexy time! Also, I feel like a bastard, leaving you right at the peak of the sex scene. I went back and reread that chapter and I had to splash my face with water. Without further hesitation~ I give you sexiness.**

Impatience flared from deep inside the pureblood. "Zero," The growl was deep, feral in the rough, animal way he rarely called upon. There was very clear, very precise warning in the clipped hiss of the prefect's name as Kaname Kuran lifted his hips in desperation. The heating and cooling jell had more than worked, and it made Kaname wonder why they used it as antiseptic, if it worked so well during sex. One thing was for sure. He would remember this. Oh, he would definitely remember this. It was, he thought, something he'd be reluctant to adjust to, now that Zero had an edge.

A low, silky purr slid from deep within Zero Kiryuu's chest. The unspent passion and need, the territorial instinct to mark, reflected sharply in his translucent lilac eyes as he raked them shamelessly across his lover's naked body. Pale, he thought, and his beast gave a satisfied purr of its own. Kaname's body was so beautifully pale…with such deep, delicious red blood. He couldn't fight the shudder that wracked him as he lowered his hips-just barely-to the tip of Kaname's erection.

He needed this. Oh God did he need Kaname inside him. He would take and take; he would devour his mate until neither male could remember how to speak, much less remember their names. They'd have screamed them too often to speak them. He hissed softly, the sensation of Kaname just barely touching him sending that familiar tingle down his body, into his core. Feeling his walls twitch and tense in anticipation, he grinned darkly.

He hadn't forgotten. Oh no, he hadn't forgotten. Now that he had his memories back, his beast would just have to be patient. He felt as it growled and, reluctantly, lowered itself, allowing him full control for a brief moment. Dagger-sharp and absolutely glittering in poorly veiled revenge, Zero's eyes brightened. He held Kaname's wrists tightly in his smaller, steadier hands. That close, he watched his own silver bangs graze the vampire prince's delicate, pale skin. He'd remember to mark that perfect skin; he thought briefly and allowed the purr to melt into a low chuckle.

"Patience never was your virtue…was it?" He took his time, for the moment ignoring Kaname's warning glance and the hasty thrust of Kaname's hips against him. He wanted to enjoy this while he could. Flashing his fangs, as if to taunt his lover, he lowered his head and ghosted a kiss, allowing his lips to trail slowly down the smooth column of pale flesh until they hovered just above the vampire's mark. "Mine," he growled, biting hard. He made sure not to break the skin-not yet. For now, he was content with proving his point. Besides, wouldn't it give Kaname some satisfaction if he took blood?

In response, Kaname nearly let the last of his control slip-control which he'd hastily gathered together the moment he realized Zero's intent. He growled, the sensual tingle shooting through him, beginning at the mark. Gritting his teeth, he shut his eyes tight and rode out the mix of pain and pleasure that only proceeded to harden him. He needed it. He needed Zero so much it hurt. As if in agreement, his erection gave a painful throb.

Afraid his voice might betray his need; Kaname growled up at Zero and bared his own fangs to the hunter's glittering eyes. Damn, if his lover wasn't enjoying himself. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into," he muttered, finally succeeding in surprising Zero with a hard thrust of his hips, to which Zero had no time to pull teasingly away.

To his credit, Zero recovered relatively quickly from Kaname's dirty trick. Head tilting back, he allowed the rush of contact, allowed the sensation of heating and cooling jells, to echo through him. His face was burning, but he had no time to acknowledge it. If he stopped to think, he'd lose this game. "Is that right?" he breathed, feeling his beast growl its impatience. It would not remain subdued for much longer, which meant Zero had a lot to pay Kaname back for in a short amount of time.

Oddly pleased with their argument, though still quite…irate, Kaname grinned. If his mate was strong enough to push the boundaries of their current, established, relationship, then it meant he was strong enough for whatever Kaname deemed necessary…which meant there were no holds barred this late in the game. He'd allow Zero to think he'd won-for now. If it meant holding his pet, he'd do it. He'd accept whatever punishment his boy deemed worthy.

That being said, Kaname allowed his beast to roam, to call to Zero's in a low, intimate purr. He wanted that primal passion again, wanted Zero in that most basic way a mate could be with its other half. He tilted his head back, and a low moan slid from his lips. Rational Zero might want revenge…but something told him his mate had others.

"Zero," he purred, allowing the tingle of pleasure to echo through the silver chord that bound them both. He tilted his head back, eyes closing, to bear his neck. "I thought you wanted this." The moment those fingers loosened around his wrists, he allowed his own fingers to interlock with Zero's, pulling them up to his lips to kiss. Slowly, very, very slowly, he parted his lips, ivory flashing under the dim infirmary lights. He bit Zero's fingertip, lapping greedily at the trickle of crimson that slid down the delicate pad. Taking the finger past his lips, he moaned in the ecstasy of it and sucked lightly, still lapping.

The hitch of his breath wasn't the only thing that gave him away. About ready to melt, Zero felt the tingle of heat all the way to the tips of his ears. Unable to pull his finger from his mate's lips, he sat stunned, straddling Kaname's naked hips. His own hips, still poised just above Kaname's tip, quivered some. "I do," he managed, gulping back the growing arousal that washed over him, wave after wave. His erection gave a painful throb of its own, and that was when he knew he'd lost.

The second that mental wall was down, the beast inside him took a step back, lowered itself into a predatory crouch, and took a running leap along that silver cord to once again enjoy the company of its other half. Still unprepared for the sudden reaction, Zero parted his lips in a silent yelp and felt his entrance twitch eagerly. "Do it," he growled, and the command was thick with passion. "I want you deep inside me right now, damn it." The hand not 'occupied' by Kaname dug lightly into the pureblood's shoulder, leaving red crescent moon indents as proof of his ever-diminishing willpower.

More than pleased by the reaction, Kaname released Zero's fingertip in an audible wet 'pop', allowing the wound to heal as he licked his lips appraisingly. "Mm, delicious," he growled, not referring just to the taste of blood on his tongue. He moved then, more than happy to allow his beast to 'play'. It wasn't subtle-not by any stretch-when he leaned up, using two fingers to hold Zero's quivering entrance open in preparation for his tip. "You shouldn't keep a hungry vampire waiting, Zero…it's not polite." He thrust upward fast and hard, back arching at the intensity of the tight heat. He'd missed this, he thought, hands yanking his boy down around him until he'd fully sheathed himself.

"You bastard," came Zero's raspy hiss. "You always were a pain in the ass…" Still, beyond the pain, he couldn't say it felt unbearable. In fact, it felt pretty damn great. Shamelessly, like he'd done before, Zero clamped down hard on the thick heat inside him. It was like it completed him, in a way. The tingle of heating and cooling only added to his already piquing pleasure as he rolled his hips, still unwilling to release Kaname.

"Mm, I thought you liked it hard and fast, baby." Kaname eased his vice like grip on Zero's hips, sliding his pianist fingers slowly up and down the boy's back, his hips, and down the backs of his thighs. "Now that you remember what happened, why don't you take responsibility?" His caresses slid to a halt over Zero's ass. With one hand, Kaname gave the pale skin a quick, hard slap, enjoying the tingling red mark almost as much as he enjoyed the quick yip of surprise it elicited from Zero. "Don't disappoint me now, vampire hunter."

Zero growled low in his throat, leaning down to bite at Kaname's mark. He'd nearly succeeded when the body beneath him shifted, began moving. His eyes widened almost instantly, walls quivering and clamping sporadically around the shaft as he attempted to create some pace. Instead of biting, he gritted his teeth and shut his eyes, burying his face in Kaname's neck as he inhaled the vampire prince's sharp, rich scent.

"H-harder, Kaname…" he muttered, body sliding along Kaname's like a cat in heat as he attempted to press himself against his mate. God, he wanted more. He wanted to feel Kaname hit deep inside him and make him see stars…not that he'd willingly admit that much…though it was true.

"Oh?" was the bemused response he offered at the shameless declaration. Kaname hummed thoughtfully, thrusting up fast and hard to grind deep inside Zero. He held himself there, torturously just centimeters from where instinct told him that pleasure spot was in his lover. "Don't hold back on my account, babe. Try moving those hips, hmm?" He swatted the already reddening skin of Zero's ass, as if to encourage the boy. "Or perhaps you just don't want it that badly?"

There was a noise. A cross between a dangerously low warning growl and the soft, desperate whine of an animal, Zero tilted his head back, bracing himself with his palms on Kaname's beautifully naked chest. He moved then, lips parted and eyes closed, allowing his walls to clamp down hard as his hips moved. "S-so good…Kaname…" Finding his rhythm, Zero arched his back and felt as pre slid slowly down his twitching shaft. It was slapping his stomach, he thought, and he couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed at how hard he was riding his mate.

Kaname knew the moment he hit that spot in Zero. The silver chord lit up brighter than sunlight inside them both. Burgundy eyes half lidded, Kaname watched the lithe body over him arch and move, felt the desperate clench of walls around him. He wanted to dominate, needed to dominate. The only thing keeping him subdued was Zero, whose body seemed far too well accustomed to the quick pace to readjust to suit Kaname's particularly dominating intentions. "Zero," he panted, feeling the boy's name slide like a fine wine from the tip of his tongue. Just like Zero's blood, the boy riding him was wild and untamed, dangerous and strangely affectionate. Deciding he quite enjoyed it, he began moving his hips, thrusting up on Zero's downward stroke.

"It's…filling me up. Kaname, I can feel you moving inside me…" There was something desperate in Zero's voice. There it was, he thought-the part of his mate that needed attention. The attention only Kaname could provide. Kaname was impressed his boy had held onto that control for as long as he had…but he was starting to lose to the pleasure now…and Kaname was more than willing to take over.

Reaching between their merging bodies, Kaname growled and wrapped his fingers tight around the base of his hunter's shaft, stroking the underside encouragingly. "Feel that too, baby?" he purred, parting his lips as pre lubricated the path of his fingers along Zero's erection. "Want more, Zero?"

It was Kaname's time to bite, fangs piercing Zero's delicate skin just above the intricate rose tattoo. Had it grown, he wondered curiously, allowing the trickle of crimson liquid to roll like fire down the back of his throat. Moaning softly in satisfaction, Kaname pumped Zero's length in time with his thrusts. He could feel the clawed fingers tearing down his arms, his back, and his neck. He knew he was close. He wanted that feral Zero, and damn it he'd have him. He'd make his mate cum hard, just as he'd more than willingly fill his prefect with his own hot, thick seed.

"Please!" A breathy, pleading gasp filled the crackling air around them. It took Kaname a moment to register the emotion in that desperate plea. "Kaname, I'm so close… I can't…I c-," Zero's voice was cut off on the wave of another low, guttural moan. God, Kaname loved hearing his hunter call him by name. Tightening his grip on Zero's shaft, he pumped harder, thrust faster. His lips disconnected from that pale neck, leaving him to lap up Zero's blood and kiss the wounds tenderly.

"Zero," breath ghosting out across Zero's pale neck in hot waves, Kaname captured those sweet lips and drew his thumb across the boy's slit. "Cum for me, Zero… I want to see your face when you cum." Barely able to form a sentence of his own, he shuddered and felt pre begin to coat Zero on the inside. He was just as close, and the edge was just in his sights.

Their bodies met in perfect sync one last, beautiful time just then. White heat flashed between them, and the room filled with their desperate screams. Each breath was a blissful, desperate pant as Zero spilled himself out across his and Kaname's stomach and chest. Kaname, in response, arched his back, clutching desperately to Zero as the sudden tightening of the walls around him pushed him over the edge. He captured Zero's lips, felt fingers tangle in his hair. Moaning each other's name, they swallowed each other's pleasure as Kaname poured himself deep into Zero's tight, beautiful heat.

The pleasure lingered as they rode out their orgasm together, both unable to let go of the other. When at last they settled, tangled up together on the infirmary bed, both panting and-for the moment-sated, the silence found them. The thundering of their hearts together had eased some. Their beasts purred, sated not like predators, but like kittens as they twined, wrapping and tangling up around each other in the silver light that connected them.

Kaname was the first to move, bringing his lips to Zero's soft bangs for a gentle kiss. His heart almost never raced this way-vampire hearts often didn't. Now, though, it was a steady, consistent beat under Zero's ear. Sex had warmed his body-had warmed both of them-until they were sweating and blissfully limp. "You know," he whispered, catching Zero's attention immediately.

He watched violet pupils glance up curiously past silver bangs, still clouded in lust and hunger. "Mm," Zero muttered, phrasing it as a question when he could find no strength to speak. He was content to let his body remain against Kaname…for now. Internally, his hunter and his beast participated in what had to be the most intense staring match. Eventually, though, the beast turned back to its mate, sated and satisfied in its victory over the hunter, who stepped back into the recesses of Zero's mind for the time being.

Unable to help himself, Kaname flashed a toothy, fang-filled grin down at his kitten and slowly drew his finger up Zero's spine. "You might very well make an excellent S&M queen. I wonder what you'd do if I gave you a whip?" Not surprisingly, his joking remark was met with a low warning growl from Zero, which was followed quickly by a quick, hard punch to his upper arm. He winced but continued. "Aw, I was being serious. You've got a very naughty side."

Feathers ruffled, Zero sat up quickly to glare down at the pureblood, resenting the truth in those words. "You son of a bitch, you can't just leave the damn moment as it is, can you?" Another punch to Kaname's arm was quickly followed by the realization that the vampire was still inside him…deep inside him. Even soft, Kaname Kuran's impressive length filled him, keeping the hot liquid moving inside him at every small move. Too late to hide his blush, he thought, not willing to acknowledge the already recovering heat in his core.

No, he thought. No, he would NOT accept another round of sex! His ass would already hurt tomorrow. If they were just getting started, then damn it the bastard vampire would either have to carry him, or he'd stay in bed… Still, he'd be lying if he said he didn't want it. Already his beast, with the promise of more play time, was lifting its head and glancing around curiously, searching again for its mate.

"I sincerely hope you brought a change of clothes, love, because we're not even close to being done…and I'm not holding anything back this time." There was a wicked glint to Kaname Kuran's vermillion eyes as he flipped them, managing to remain firmly entrenched within Zero. Already he could feel his arousal stir, hardening inside his boy.

"Shit, why the hell do I bother?"

"You love me too much, Zero."

"Like hell, bastard… For now we'll call it like. Got it? Like-"

Kaname reveled in the silence that lingered as he captured Zero's lips. "Love," he corrected, drawing his tongue slowly across Zero's mark. "And you started this, not me…so let's try this again. I love you, Zero Kiryuu."

"Bastard…" Eyes widening as Kaname began to thrust, Zero scrambled to regain himself. "F-fine…I love you too…Kaname Kuran." He couldn't manage any anger or resentment as he spoke.

More than pleased at the sound of his name over his boy's lips, Kaname began to move inside him. He hadn't been joking when he'd said he'd not hold back. Vampire stamina was, after all, a beautiful thing indeed.

**Well, this ended up being three THOUSAND plus words, my lovelies, and it took me till twelve fifty at night to write. I tried to add more description to the sex, and there will be more…just because I can, and they'll have roughly a week's worth of sex in. 3 Good times, good times. Anyways, I won't be able to post for a while. Going to ColossalCon 2013 in Sandusky, Ohio from Thursday till Sunday! If you're there, look for a Zero Kiryuu or Ace, from Alice in the Country of Hearts. (Google him 3)**


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